ARMY Chief Gen M M Naravane’s hailing of Bangladesh’s efforts to deny space to terror groups carrying out subversive activities against India is a conscious acknowledgement of a trusted neighbour’s contribution. Terror groups have found using the Bangladesh soil to launch anti-India operations very difficult due to the country’s alert security network.

The issue of terrorism against India also has another dimension that is purely internal for the neighbouring countries. The terror masterminds are not limited only upto unleashing territorial fight against India’s security forces, they also operate on a different plane by instigating the locals against minorities in those countries. It is another side of terrorism, glimpses of which are on visible in the neighbourhood where minorities are targeted by radical elements. Against the backdrop of the murder of a priest and vandalising of Hindu temples in Bangladesh, the issue assumes greater significance. Terror can come in any form and the attacks on Hindus in Islamic countries is part of a bigger plan. Tackling terror cannot be restricted to action against armed extremists only. It has to go beyond the limited definition of terror and nail the radicals.