The bestseller, 'Is New York Burning?' tells
the story of terrorists threatening to explode an atomic bomb smuggled in to
the US from Pakistan. As tensions mount, the US President receives a word of advice from the
Israeli Prime Minister, "Tell them publicly that if that bomb explodes, Pakistan's Northwest
Frontier areas where these acts are coming from will disappear from the face of
the earth ... And if you don't have the guts, I will do it for you".
An imaginary situation; but a typically
realistic response! That is Israel - the
touchstone of pre-emptive decimation of enemies, and an inspiring symbol of
fortitude.
Look at India. We fought 4 wars over issues that still
remain unresolved. Our neighbours with
the exception of one or two are hostile or unfriendly. The long coastline and land borders are
susceptible to infiltration and inflow of explosives.
26/11 was a rude reminder of these
vulnerabilities. Two months have passed.
And we are still talking!
What are we hoping to achieve? That the world at large will do us a favour
by closing down the terrorist camps in Pakistan? That they will round up our 'most wanted
criminals' hiding there and hand them over to us?
Are we trying to secure the future of this
nation? Or are we prolonging the sixty two years of agony?
- February
2009
Absolutely correct.
ReplyDeleteBy prolonging a decisive action, are we buying time or are we hoping that problems will disappear with time?
Very well written