Judiciary under extremists' threat

By all means take the government to task for failing to provide adequate security. By all means censure those that failed to take cognisance of the advance warnings that the intelligence agencies provided to them. By all means bring all the pressures to bear on the government to arouse them into concrete actions against the extremists. But do not deprive the common man of whatever little judicial service that is available to them.

What our judges and lawyers have apparently failed to understand is that, not only will their proposed action deny justice to the common man, more dangerously, it will be playing into the hands of these religious extremists. For it is exactly what their aim is -- to cause the collapse of our judiciary. Dangers can be fought, not by running away but by seizing them by the neck. There is always the risk of being run over by a car when one goes out on the street. Does it mean that one stops going out?

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Neither striking work nor providing gunmen is the permanent solution to the challenge that has been thrown up by the terrorists. To thwart them requires two-pronged action. The government must do everything to get at the masterminds and brains behind these extremists and destroy their network and sources of support. For our part, the people must not show any signs of being cowed down by the extremists' acts of violence, but carry on business as usual with a brave face.

Otherwise, it will be the terrorist who will have the last laugh.