Need To Distinguish Between Accused, Culprit in Militant Cases

The arrests made in Gujarat and Maharashtra endorse the plea that Kashmir is not the sole target of terrorist organizations. The entire country is on their monitor. Few days ago, renowned scholar of international terrorism and peace, Astle Talice, said that the Lashkar-e-Taiyiba's (LeT) target is not only Kashmir but also the whole of India and the final goal of this militant organization will not be achieved with the resolution of Kashmir problem.

Goal of Militant Organization
The Pakistani military regimes and elected governments nurtured the LeT with a view to keep the Kashmir issue alive and burning. Now, the targets of these terrorist organizations have undergone a change and now it has gone out of control of the Pakistani Government. Its base in Pakistan has been fortified more among the Sunni sect of southern Punjab rather than Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The LeT intends to expand its strength in Pakistan. It advocates and supports every possible strike against India. It carries out terrorist activities in Kashmir with the support of non-Kashmiris. Likewise, a change has taken place in the mindset and structure of other militant organizations. The militant organizations once functioning under the patronage of the Pakistani Government have now turned so much arbitrary that they are waging fights simultaneously in Pakistan and outside the same.

As many as 500 explosions took place in Pakistan in 2009, in which were targeted police, military, the intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and other government establishments and institutes. In such a state of affairs the arrests made in Gujarat and Maharashtra raise several serious questions.

In the wake of every terror attack the government talks in terms of fortified intelligence, efficient surveillance system and reliable investigation. The need for effective coordination is underlined in order to intensify war on terror from the local to the international level in addition to plugging the loopholes in the security mechanism. The setting up of a strong network is demanded in order to establish the apprehensions of terror strikes or prove them baseless.

Objective of Security Agencies
In the existing scenario the main objective of security agencies is to prevent terrorist attacks. Democratic and human rights organizations pose the question why innocent people become victim on the pretext of war on terror? These organizations often emphasize that the investigation should be transparent and court procedures should be conducted in a transparent manner.

In the existing situation even a minor lapse becomes the cause of fatal attacks. Hence, security agencies are not in a position to run massive risk.

Firm Coordination Required
If a firm coordination is maintained and ensured from the lowest to the highest level and intelligence is shared with the use of modern equipment then the security agencies can achieve success in dealing with the apprehensions of the terrorist attacks. Terrorist strikes can be prevented and innocent people can be saved from the onslaughts of apprehensions.

World history bears testimony to the fact that lapses and excesses of security agencies aggravate the problem. The government and security agencies should ensure that the investigation should be transparent and democratic rights of the arrested accused and their human and legal rights are availed of appropriately by them. A distinction should be made between the accused and the culprit.