THE latest ploy of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror groups to use women or girls or juveniles to send across messages, drugs or even weapons may not be much effective since the Indian Intelligence agencies have already got the info about the new planning. But that ploy, nevertheless, will certainly create new problems in Kashmir’s social fabric as any action against women or girls or other juveniles would lead much antagonism against the Security Forces and agencies. Indian authorities will have to handle the issue with much care. Besides some dent in social fabric, the new ISI ploy will bring no additional gains to the terror masterminds. For, by now, through years of careful study and counter-action, the Indian agencies have gained enough experience to confront the underground enemy effectively. When the terror masterminds started using the Kashmiri youth for hurling stones at the Security Forces during their anti-terror or combing ops, the Indian authorities started using other methods to overcome that obstacle. Needless to say, a similar approach will help even now in due time.

 

What surprises anybody most is the foolishness of the sponsors of terrorism at least in India. There may not be any single example in the world’s history when terrorists have dethroned a Government and assumed power. The best gain that terrorism can have is of keeping the administration disturbed to whatever extent. When the mighty State gets used to the terror activity, it develops its own systematic response to it and learns to live with the menace with little effect on the overall security scenario. In Kashmir -- or elsewhere in the country -- the administration has found ways and means to respond to terror activity. No matter the level of disturbance, the State machinery keeps working as normally as possible in the given situation. In the long term, terror never succeeds, and starts losing ground slowly, no matter how many resources its sponsors pump in to keep the activity going. This trend will continue even now even if terror masterminds use women or girls or juveniles to transport the intended stuff.

 

In the past thirty-plus years since Pakistan started supporting terrorism actively, it has gained nothing significant to write home about. It has spent mind-boggling resources to keep terrorism going in Kashmir. It has lost countless numbers of its own trained military personnel as well in that effort. And most important, it has lost its prestige in the comity of nations and is called a rogue state by the whole world. It is obvious, thus, that terrorism has not brought any gains to Pakistan, though it keeps itself engaged in sponsoring it all the time -- as a matter of state policy. Of course, this is as per the culture Pakistan has developed over the past 75 years since its formation. That is a culture of uncertainty. That is a culture of investment of resources in wrong practices. That is a culture of hoping stupidly that one day India will break down and break up. Pakistan sponsored terrorism in such a mad hope.

 

In the past thirty-plus years, Pakistan has employed different practices to bring India to grief. Instead, it has seen itself coming to grief as all its efforts failed to make any significant dent on the overall Indian system and scenario. All its tricks have been countered effectively by Indian Security Forces and agencies. The situation has changed for the better after the abrogation of Special Status from Kashmir and carving out two Union Territories out of the erstwhile State. A favourable public opinion also supports the move because the common people have seen the benefits of the steps the Government has taken in diverse fields -- which terror masterminds do not seem to realise.