'India's policy makers need to pull their heads out of the sand and recognize the reality that Pakistan has supported and sponsored terrorism on Indian soil for more than three decades; a national counter-terrorism strategy must be evolved in the fullest consciousness of this fact, and of the continued hostility of the Pakistani nation-State to the very idea of India.'
'There is simply no evidence of any new or clear policy direction in internal security, and mounting evidence of policy incoherence.' 'Worse, the promise of giving the common man -- and, more importantly, woman -- a greater sense of security has been utterly belied. Indeed, with an escalation of communal posturing and rhetoric, there is a broader sense of uncertainty,' says Ajai Sahni.
The most basic reality of a dysfunctional enforcement apparatus across India will ensure that coordinated terrorist attacks, like the Bodh Gaya strike, will continue to occur, notes Ajai Sahni.
Maoists have struck again, this time in Dantewada. At least 76 Central Reserve Police Force jawans have died in the attack, the highest toll till now. Will the government give up its fumbling approach to tackle the red terror and use all possible means to deal with the gravest threat to internal security? Or will it persist with its line of least resistance? Ajai Sahni & Ajit Kumar Singh explain what needs to be done.
The Maoist threat needs to be taken very seriously, writes Ajay Sahni.