Monday, December 8, 2008

The Targets of Terror in Mumbai


Courtesy: NDTV

NDTV published this map that details the targets of 26/11.

Is Pakistan a trustable ally to US ?

It was rather unwise on part of US to have believed in a country which was unstable politically and economically. Pakistan is slowly and steadily turning into another afghanistan and Iraq and guess what this is just going to compound the list of problems which US has been having ever since they were dealt a severe blow by the jehadis on that fatal 9/11. US often has said that the Pakistan has been an ally to US on their campaign "War on Terror" when failing to completely realise that this country is already plagued with lot of severe problems which needs to be rooted before it can be taken into confidence. Dont take me wrong. I am not blaming the innocent citizens and the civilian society of pakistan. I am equally frustrated with the attrocities that the ISI and the military of Pakistan have played on this ever under developed country. No single leader, past or the present have been able to tap the resources, this country possessed or lead their country effectively. No grants from US was able to lift this pitiable country from the deep trenches the men of this country have dug for themselves. Now the money from US has also gone to the grave faster than anyone could believe or perceive.

Check for the news from NDTV on the $10 billion suffered by US.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080075666&ch=12/8/2008%2010:37:00%20AM

The Bush govt in its report has revealed that Pakistan literally wasted $10 billion granted to them by the US for the war against terrorism, to evacuate the region of Pak and Afghanistan from the perils who call themselves the Jihadis. On the whole, these group of militants have not only tarnished the religion which is so prevalent in this world but also so many countries which could have been molded towards development if only for these unwanted elements.
Ever since this country was given birth to in 1947, they have been always a kind of disturbed lot. Never have they lived in peace. Never have they left their neighbours in peace. Take note again when i say they, i refer to those group of men who disguise themselves under the ISI (pakistani intelligence), the jehadis in the terrorist camps and the corrupt leaders who have let their country time and again to the chagrins of the military and the ISI.

when the US in its complete knowledge knew that the tribal areas in the North western province were never under the control of the Pak Government, how did common sense prevail in them just giving a grant of 10 billion in exchange to a promise which everyone knew they are incapable of keeping up ? Remember its a sovereign country's ground and US has no business to take it under its control even if it said that it had given such an attactive package. Now where has it gone. i would not be surprised if the findings said that it either went into the pockets of leacherous politicians or to the ISI men or some so called patriotic men looting it for setting up terror camps. Anyways, it has neither been used on the interests of the US nor on the interest of the poor and innnocent civilians of Pakistan who are in utter despair in waiting for one good leader capable of changing the fortune of theirs and their country's.

US in all its capacity should have either acted tougher or should have imposed time bound conditions and released those grants in parts. It was a blind investment if ever someone allowed me to describe this act of US when the economy of US in itself crumbles day by day. 10 billion $ is not a small package to let it go and the Bush administration should answer this to the citizens of his country before he vacates his office. Obama in succession has a larger role to play. He has not yet started to run the race but then already the perils facing his country men have started to run beyond his reach and now you see Bush coming in at last to hand over the reins to his hand.
I just sincerely hope that Obama does not make the same mistake which Bush did by investing too much of money in the land of pakistan. It would be strategically wiser not only on the part of US but also on the part of the neighbouring and as well as common wealth nations of south east asia to establish a stabilised goverment in Pakistan which would have control over the military as well as the Intelligence services. Pakistan should now more focus on growth rather than setting up terror camps. For the first time in its history, it should set up committees to really help the common man and ask him what he really wants. The military should now be used more for eliminating the militants who migrate from afghanistan. Us on the other hand should play it safe by pressurising the militants in afghanistan. Now the question is upto the US. Should it trust pakistan in its "War on Terror" ? Whether the US provides help to Pakistan or not, all depends on how pakistan acts ? Now again when i say Pakistan, i mean the government, military and the ISI. Lets leave the civilians alone. They have already suffered too heavily from the impact this group has created time and again.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Unfaithful citizens or ambitious individuals?

I still remember how reluctant i was to venture to the west in the name of an IT service provider, to stay overseas. Being in high school too when many of my friends were dreaming to travel to US, i never had that even rubbing against my mind. 25 years of absolute bliss was how i would define my life in chennai. Great moments and i loved every second of my school. Now thats for the next topic in the blog !!!

Vivid memories of me having an argument with my elder cousin who in 1996 travelled to US for reasons to work there, is still fresh. Everyone in our family were quite happy about it. She was the first one from our family to step out of the country. From a country which would not allow girls to even step out of house after 6 p.m. this was in all terms comparable to the famous statement "one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind". Women made rapid strides from then on. Everyone in the family were proud of her. As a teenager it did not matter to me much, though i was happy for her. She came back after a stay of 2 years and yeah i had an argument with her. She was all going gaga about life in US and how it enhances an individual's life. I was too young to understand that. Literally in a comfort zone with my parents providing for my day to day expenses and needs, i had nothing but only academics to worry about. But even that was a light burden when compared to many problems kids of my age had in their lives.


I was not happy about the way she was cribbing about India. "Ditching India" was what i would associate her comments to. How could a country change a person in less than two years ? Year after year i learnt that it was not just my sister alone, but a whole sizeable lot that went for the greener pastures in US. People called it braindrain. I termed it "arrogant" displayed by unfaithful citizens. Even during that time, i never had ambitions to go to US, except for once i attempted to do my masters in US but that was one of the big failures i had to face. Looking back , i know that my attempts were not sincere since i did not share the same passion as my one time friend who inspired me to take a shot at the GRE exams.Giving up was an easier and better choice.

I travelled to US for work reasons much against my own beliefs. I discovered that the west is completely organized. Men here have got a chance to build a country from scratches. They had the opportunity to look for the failures which led many civilizations to the grave and those that had endured the savages of time and still held its head high. US had one of the best opportunities time had given to them and they made the best use of it. Everything was planned ahead and it was not realised in a night's dream. Kudos to them that they took every step with caution and precision and now its for everyone to see where they are. They dictate the world's economy. Sheer hard work or rather smart work.

Lately, i found out the reason as to why many people have made US their home and country. They did not ditch India. At heart they are still indians. But the change of mind can be attributed to many factors, ineffectiveness of the nation to learn from its mistakes, stubborn minded and refusing to see chances of improvement in every area, incompetent and corrupt to the core politicians and then the inorganised way of life of every individual which determines their fellowmen's way of life.

People who have had the luxuries of the west, still brood over the fact to spend considerable time in India. I found it quite frustrating when a few of my North American friends say that they still consider India "A Poverty state". Now how much of it is true ? Very much. Poverty does not only mean just lack of food or shelter. It means more to a country like India. Unhealthy conditions for human survival, is one of the major factors why many of the elite men from west still find it intriguing to travel down to the subcontinent.

What more do you want? You have lack of food, lack of organised way of life, lack of hygenic conditions, no proper medical insurance, communal riots, corrupted governments and then even this boils down to people getting corrupted at the lowest level. IT was one big positive for India. The industry takes pride in itself for contributing one big share to the country's GDP. What has it done to the people of other sectors ? Insecurity. What more do you want ? People who have been trained to be a part of different sectors, choose to ignore the knowledge they gained from their undergraduate and post graduate degrees only to find themselves better suitable for lucrative IT jobs. For the helpless crowd from other industries, they have to fight the inflation, somewhat caused by misgovernance of the state and most importantly caused by the obvious difference in the financial status between the two groups. IT in current scenario decides everything on the day to day expenses a normal citizen has to suffer.

Its not lack of funds. India is a huge resourceful country. A big nation comprising of hardworking people. But then everyone have become tired of being the selfless citizen. i would not blame them. The country(government) has not given them much and then they bother as to why should they do anything for the country. In the past 50 years, patriotism has been replaced by self centeredness. Its not a complaint but rather a honest statement on what an inorganised way of life could lead a country to. For an IT guy like me who is in the west making some quick bugs, going back to india is still a comfortable feeling. But then it again accompanies a truth that my life back there will be run by the rules of the game back there. Thats too many rules. Down there, many lives are decided by an influential individual. Middle class has suffered too much in India. But again the discipline showed by the middle class has only brought India to where it is now. If not for them, India would have been just another civilization that disappeared into the annals of history.

Brave men who laid their lives for the country's cause in nov 2008 terrorist attack on the luxury hotels, no doubt are men belonging to middle class who were the pride of their families. Politicians and elite business men who could have made a difference stayed far away just watching these warriors lay down their lives in a selfless cause but not before destroying the sons of devil who wreaked pandemonium in the minds of citizens if it was still safe to lead a peaceful life in the country. The country should honor these martyrs. Failure of this causes a deep hurt. Imagine the mindset of the parents who lost their son in the ambush only to realise that their own government failed to honor his son who stood for the cause of the nation. Whatever the country does, will not bring their son back? But failure to respect and acknowledge the sacrifice not only broods contempt into the minds of the family but also to the whole nation that sits up and watch how their heroes have been dealt shabbily. Brave men make heroes out of a crisis, Our Government always wants to typecast themselves as villains and even this time, they played the role to perfection.

When the country has funds to honor cricketing heroes, i cant understand the fact that the commandos and policemen who were deployed to take the masked messengers of death, had no quality armour to protect themselves from the onslaught. I even read from one of the leading journals that the officials complained over the fact that uniformed men are given the cheapest quality of armour to protect themselves from the deadly strikes they would be normally subjected to, given the kind of uniform they adorn and given the lack of security back home. One official even went to the extent to say that the bullet proof jackets are the cheapest of quality you could ever get. I would never believe if the government attributed this to lack of funds. This only reveals the lack of concern and respect the leaders have for the uniformed men.

It just leads us to believe that no one is safe from the clutches of death even with ideal conditions of life. People now not only have to fear insecurity from financial and social front but also from the perils of anarchy that would evolve if their government chose to ignore the physical security of its territory. What more reasons do you want for an individual to stay away from his home country ? Some people have made US their home. For a few people like me, its more of an emotional decision which i would not want to make. On one hand i have a place that raised me and embraced me to help me face the trials of life and on the other i have a country that has given me the comforts of life. One is with what i am emotionally attached, the other is what i am physically attached to. I guess i would go by my emotions. After all the cribbing and complaining, i realized that my heart is still with Chennai. If a country as big as US can be organised, i am sure we have hope that India could also make it. It just needs a few people like you and me to set things straight. When we could embrace the fact that there is a wide scope for potential improvement in state of affairs back home, we have already taken a step. Planning should be the next phase. And most of all, we need one leader, a motivator. The future generation needs him/her. The current generation awaits. Is it you or Is it me ? I know !! I sound too optimistic.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

As a citizen do we need to something?

On seeing the bombings in Bombay, my heart goes out to the thousands of mumbaikars who have to undergo the tremors in Bombay caused by those heartless terrorists. Whether these terrorists come from Hyderabad or Pakistan or London or from any nation, it does not matter, a weed is a weed. Salutes to the Anti terrorist squad members and to the police team who laid their lives so that millions could heave a sigh of relief that it was over. But then this also accompanies the fateful truth that India being such resourceful could not tackle terrorism with all the improved technologies they have at their disposal.

Lets not play the blame game now. Politicians in India as always have been dumb spectators to this whole fiasco. The public as well as the uniformed forces took it in their stride and showed resilience during the darkest hours india had to face. I would even compare this bloody days to the 1947 partition when massacres were the order of the day. The magnitude of the lives that were destroyed then might be huge then but lives that were laid today are as precious as the lives of those sons and daughters of the subcontinent who had to face the ugly consequences of any communal riots.

We need to agree that India being named as one of the stable and developing economies should now rethink its security. How long would we blame Pakistan for any or every bombings ? We might be true or may be the politicians are just covering their backs to conceal their inabilities to tackle terrorism from unleashing the wild on to this country. The truth is that the nation's security is at stake. The coastal strech in Mumbai and Gujarat seem to be vulnerable points offering the militants from across our neighouring country a license to come in and wreak havoc. Now should we blame the country that sent its terrorist elements or should we blame ourselves for having not provided enough screening at those vulnerable points to thwart their attempts?

Its a pity that even after so many bombings taking place across india in less than two years, india dont have an established anti terrorism cell or unit. The ATS is also a small group of around 30 to 35 men. Is this a good no. to tackle terrorism in a country that ranks the second most populated in the world?

India needs a change. The current generation deserves better leaders. May be we should take the reins of this country. The country has had enough with these politicians who have yet to make an impression when it comes to National security. A man who is just good with numbers and accounting, was not a wise choice to adorn the Prime Minister's seat. And he has proved that time and again. But then what other alternative does this country have? The leader from the opposition again is someone who is accused with the demolition of the famous Babri Masjid and is a Pro hindu. Country under him is also not safe. He would create more internal fued disrupting the religious harmony people have preserved with much difficulty given the no. of religions and cultures this country boasts of.

Should we wait for some messiah to come up and say that he would take the country forward? Or should we take a step forward and say that i too have a responsibility towards my fellowmen ? It is not mere patriotic or emotional statements. There is a tinge of selfishness from my side. As of now, the southern states have not been disturbed much in the name of terrorism. Is it because of the geographical position that terrorists have ignored us or is it because the security cordon in the south seems to be tight in comparision to the northern states ? No one really knows except for those highhanded men who remotely terrorise India now and then. Since i come from one of the southern states, my fear have grown considerably every day to think what would happen in a few years from now. Southern states are as vulnerable as the northern ones and we cannot wait for a terror strike to confirm ourselves that we are prone to these attacks.

What do we do ? How do we do ? These are the questions raking in my mind. Most of us are either with MNCs or with IT giants. Do we need to get out of this comfort zone ? Should we take up more responsible jobs ? The money these giants have offered us is too tempting to get rid of it. But then at what cost? The lives of our dear ones whom we so much love ? I want to think that the future of our lives is in safe hands, I want to be an Optimist. But the terrored faces of the Gujarat communal riots, the Bombay train blasts, Serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, and the ones in Hyderabad(down south) have raised my eyebrows when i say that i am an optimist.