The suicide attack on the CRPF convoy in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, on 14th February, claimed more than 40 lives of our bravehearts. As the whole nation is mourning and praying for the bereaved families of these martyrs, we need to ponder over how this could have been avoided, and take action accordingly.
However, there should be no politicisation of the matter by the various parties of India, as it’s testing times like these when we need to show our true spirit of unity to the world. There is a need for solidarity and consensus among all the political parties of the country to devise a plan which can deter such attacks in future, by building a strong counter-terrorism policy which can safeguard India’s National Security.
What Should Be Done By The Government?
- Solve the issues which are erupting militancy in Kashmir. There is a need to explore both domestic as well as external dimensions of the Kashmir issue. The attack could not have taken place without some local support from the extremist sections of the Kashmir society. We should not generalise the conception that all Kashmiris are responsible for it. It will require a nuanced joint effort by the political class and the military to achieve a long-term solution, rather than a knee-jerk response to serve a short-term goal.
- Although it is too difficult to take China on board, there should be steps to pressurise China to support the inclusion of Maulana Masood Azhar in the United Nations Security Council resolution 1267. It would help to freeze funds and other financial resources of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). It is the most appropriate time to put international pressure on China to compel it to understand and acknowledge the sensitivity of the matter.
What Is Our Responsibility As Genuine Patriotic Citizens Of India?
Protests like Nalasopara, in Maharashtra, against the Pulwama attack, only disrupted the normal civilian activities in India, which is not the right approach to show anger. Such an approach is ultimately going to hamper the country internally and affect the economy adversely, which is the ulterior motive of a terrorist organisation like Jaish-e-Mohammad.
We need to be responsible in our actions and words as our contribution is of immense significance for boosting the morale of the security forces. We can contribute at least financially to the families of the martyrs. There is a website Bharat Ke Veer, which is a fundraising initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Besides that, the media, the fourth pillar of democracy, should play a constructive role by the telecast of such sensitive news in a responsible manner, rather than quenching its thirst for a high TRP.
Is War An Option?
War should always remain the last option when all other means are thoroughly exhausted, as it causes heavy losses to the entire country. War would not only affect sustained Indian progress overall, but would also serve the motives of terrorists involved in the attack to stop India’s growth on almost all fronts. As India has secured its goodwill and immense soft power all over the world, it should now harness its potential and convert it into the tangible outcome by asking for international cooperation and support to deal with terrorists.
A war between two nuclear-armed states, India and Pakistan, will only lead to the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). Both nations would face an unprecedented level of destruction and nothing else. Moreover, war cannot be a viable solution as it would certainly claim more lives of our innocent soldiers too.
I came across these extremely touching lines written below, which express the emotional turbulence of soldiers, and should compel us to not suggest war as an early option, when clearly there can be other solutions.
If I die in a war zone, Box me up and send me home.
Put my medals on my chest, Tell my mom I did my best.
Tell my father not to bow, He won’t get tension from me now.
Tell my brother to study perfectly, Keys of my bike will be his permanently.
Tell my sister not to be upset, Her brother will take a long sleep after sunset,
Tell my love not to Cry, Because I am a Soldier Born to Die..!!