Two years of Modi govt: Hits and misses in handling internal security- Part 1
New Delhi, May 24: The union government under Narendra Modi has completed two years. The last year has been an eventful one and it goes without saying that there are hits and misses. For Narendra Modi national security was a major issue during his election campaign.
In this two part series we will analyse the performance of the government on the issue of internal security. While the first part would deal with the hits, the second one will go into the misses.
The
ISIS
issue:
Handling
of
the
ISIS
issue
is
probably
one
of
the
biggest
hits
for
this
government.
The
strategy
itself
while
dealing
with
this
foreign
terror
outfit
prowling
on
citizens
across
the
world
was
a
good
one.
No matter what propaganda material may put up and how much the media may scream, the ISIS is still a long way before it becomes a reality in India. [Modi govt's 2 years: Ups and downs]
Modi along with his national security advisor, Ajit Doval have been meeting with the moderate Muslims time and again in a bid to spread the message to the youth that the ISIS does not stand for Islam.
Giving those who have been radicalised on the internet, but have actually not joined the ISIS the benefit of the doubt is also a move that paid off. Such persons are counselled and the return rate has been hardly one per cent.
Border
security:
Although
there
have
been
lapses,
the
government
has
taken
measures
to
ensure
that
border
security
is
not
compromised.
The
formation
of
a
committee
under
former
Home
Secretary
Madhukar
Gupta
to
suggest
measures
to
step
up
border
security
was
one
good
move.
There is a lot of work on the borders still remaining, but the government is moving in the right direction to make it more fool proof. The Bangladesh border was a perennial problem for all governments. However under this government, the situation is improving considerably.
The decision to seal the India-Bangladesh border is another good move. It not only curbs illegal immigrants, but also stops the free flow of terrorists from Bangladesh.
Sanity
among
the
agencies:
Under
this
government
there
is
a
great
deal
of
coordination
between
all
the
agencies
dealing
with
terrorism.
The NIA has been given a free hand and cases of interference from the Home Ministry have not been found. Moreover the NIA gets ample support from the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing.
Investigations seem more coordinated and unlike the past officials do not murmur about interference and lack of coordination any more. Due credit must go to the National Security Advisor a former IB man who assured that coordination between all the agencies would be a top priority.
Coordination
with
foreign
nations:
The
sharing
of
intelligence
with
other
countries
has
marginally
improved.
India's
decision
to
coordinate
on
intelligence
sharing
where
the
ISIS
is
concerned
has
paid
dividends.
Another
good
decision
by
India
was
not
to
join
the
global
war
against
the
ISIS.
This is a good move as any such decision would have led to sectarian violence among the Muslims in India.
The Gulf nations are also a crucial part of the fight against terror. It is a well known fact that the who is who in the terror circles from India end up taking shelter in these nations. However the number of people who have been sent back from the Gulf for their involvement in various acts of terror has gone up.
The other change in scenario when dealing with the UAE is the manner in which India has an upper hand over Pakistan.
In a recent incident, Pakistan had tried to pressurise UAE into not sending Ahmed Siddibappa an alleged Indian Mujahideen operative to India. However India got the better of Pakistan and the alleged operative was back in India last week.
In this context one must also note the recent trip that the PM made to Iran. It was decided to closely coordinate and combat terrorism.
Terrorism and extremism are major challenges and the coordination of Iran and India would go a long way in combating that. The pact with Iran would help combat terror from both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It would also help curb the problem of drug trafficking and cyber crime.
The
trip
to
Pakistan:
Modi
faced
both
criticism
and
praise
for
his
sudden
trip
to
Pakistan.
This
was
in
fact
a
very
good
move
by
the
Prime
Minister.
Many
may
say
that
there
is
no
point
in
trusting
Pakistan.
What
those
people
need
to
understand
that
war
is
not
an
option
with
that
country.
The only way out of the problem is continue talking. Engaging Pakistan in trade has a direct impact on curbing incidents of terror from that country. Several experts on the subject say that if a trade route is created, Pakistan would ensure that the same is secured as there is economic involved.
The Pathankot attack may have derailed the talks and the efforts made by the Prime Minister. However both countries only postponed peace talks.
At no point in time did anyone try to call off the talks entirely. India does realise that there is a section in Pakistan which does not want peace with India.
The fact of the matter however is that the Indo-Pak foreign policy cannot be decided by a bunch of mindless jihadis.
OneIndia News