Patience and fortitude help fight terrorism

People will always measure success against the terrorists not by how many suspected terrorists have been arrested, but by whether or not their activities have stopped altogether. Therefore, the public cannot be faulted for calling to employ all available resources including the army to combat the extremists, since the bombings have continued almost unabated.

In a situation such as this, what is the index of success? Some elements of success unfortunately are intangible. The state will have to be successful and lucky every hour and every day of the month against the terrorists, the terrorists only once in a while. Terrorist acts tell on the mind of the people, but the fact remains that the many arrests that have been made and the large quantity of bomb making materials seized so far have helped in preventing the extremists from carrying out more violence. Some of those arrested have revealed their plans to carry out attacks on our Victory Day functions or on New Year's Eve and they would have been successful in carrying out their plans had they not been arrested. That their arrests have not only anticipated their action, but have also avoided loss of many more lives, is success of sorts. This is not always apparent.

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When ministers talk of sorting the problem out in two months, as a very senior ruling coalition minister is on record saying, one can only wonder at the rationale of such claims and can only feel sorry for his utter lack of understanding of the problem. One cannot be less baffled when the opposition suggests that resignation of the government will see the end of the violence. What utterances such as the minister's do is create high anticipation in the minds of the people, while the opposition talks compound the confusion. Even worse, their utterances betray a lack of understanding and sensitivity of the situation.

To be frank, things have come to such a pass that two months is perhaps too optimistic a timeframe to see an end to this utter senselessness. On the other hand, one wonders whether a new political dispensation in the country will cause the extremists to dissipate. And this is where the people must be sensitised to the reality on the ground and the complexity of the problem that we are facing.

Let me elaborate.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of considering terrorism a tangible substantive entity, which can be reduced physically. In reality, what we are faced with today is not merely a group of people with a particular motivation. It is basically an idea that we are up against and that must be our top priority objective to attain, through various means, the first of which is to rein in those that propagate the idea.

Success is not always tangible and does not come overnight. One will have achieved complete success only when the idea that is being propagated will have been invalidated. This can happen only when we create conditions that would render their rationale no longer worthy of existence. And that can come about only when the protagonists of the idea see no scope or gains in holding on to the same or till such time they are eliminated, and by elimination one is not referring to it merely in the physical sense.

Therefore it is important for the strategists who are planning to combat this evil to realise that an idea can be revived easily and as soon as it is purged, if we do not end the raison d'etre for it to exist as an idea. Therefore, fighting for the mind is just as important, if not more, as trying to reduce the threat physically.

According to the Prime Minister, all necessary steps to combat the militants have been taken. Thus, a look at the government attempts so far to tackle the issue and see if there is anything resembling some sort of a strategy in it, is in order.

Although not articulated as such, one can discern the government's attempt to fight the "idea" by evolving a plan to combat the extremists through what one could term as a "motivation" or "de-motivation" programme. But this should not be addressed merely to the common men who are already convinced that the ways of the fanatics are wrong; it is to those that are likely to fall prey of the motivators and to those institutions used to propagate radical and un-Islamic views in the name of Islam that the programme should be directed.

Insofar as new legislation is concerned, apart from the tele-tapping ordinance promulgated recently, no other new laws appear to be on the cards. Even this has come under severe criticism from most quarters because of the scope of its potential misuse. Certainly the matter of national security must take precedence over all other considerations, but a blank cheque lays it open to abuse if not used with caution and care. There is merit in the arguments that not a carte blanche, but invoking the existing legal proviso on a case-to-case basis would have sufficed.

However, legislation should not be the only recourse open to the government. The core issues as to why and how extremism has taken root must be addressed, if it is to be ended once and for all. Let us not forget that terrorism is a hydra-headed monster, no sooner you cut off one of its heads than two new grow in its place. There is perhaps a lesson in the way Hercules killed the monster with the help of his nephew Iolaus that the planners could learn from.

The idea of an all-party discussion has physiological value, for it conveys to the public the willingness of our divided polity to unite on the most vital issue that faces the country today. It will also send a message to the extremists who have successfully exploited the political discord. However, the government must not wait for the meetings to take place nor use the rejection of the offer by the opposition as an excuse for inaction.

Prompt substantive actions must not only be taken but must also be seen to have been taken. That will create confidence in people's mind and assuage their feelings.

The author is Editor, Defense & Strategic Affairs, The Daily Star.