11-24-2005, 01:47 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.ph...id=3D58641
Look East, terror may be lurking there: Gill
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Sunday, November 20, 2005 at 1447 hours IST
New Delhi, November 20: India needs to wake up to new realities believes
'Super Cop' K.P.S. Gill who wants the authorities to acknowledge the
'threats' emerging from the eastern neighbour-Bangladesh.
"Threats to India's security have been emanating from the East and the
north-east for a very long time now. But somehow the Indian security has
never considered it seriously," says gill, who is the president of
Institute of Conflict Management.
The former Punjab DGP, who is credited with rooting out terrorism from
militancy-infested Punjab and Assam, believes that as East has never
been the 'focus of attention' as far as India's security is concerned,
resultantly Bangladesh has never been seen as a 'cause of worry' for
India.
"It's time we understand the changing scenario in our neighbourhood.
Bangladesh has experienced an alarming rise in Islamist fundamentalism
in the recent years. The country is being used as a base and a training
centre by terrorists. Of late, it has become a supplier of arms and
weaponry to al-Qaida and allied terrorist outfits," says Gill who
believes 'strongly' that India needed to deal with this situation
seriously.
Known for his 'expertise' in dealing with terrorism, he is a key advisor
to the governments and institutions on security-related issues. He
strongly believes that the government needs a rethink on the immigration
policy of the country.
"There is so much of illegal immigration. There are thousands of
Bangladeshis who come to India. We must understand that it is not always
due to poverty as some of these areas that they come to are no better,
economically, than the ones they have migrated from. So it's clear that
they are coming for some other purposes," he says.
Speaking at a recent panel discussion to mark the release of the
book--Bangladesh-The Next Afghanistan?--Gill also felt that the
Bangladesh government is doing little to combat terrorism in their
country.
"Bangladesh have sheltered terrorist groups from India for many years.
They have encouraged them, promoted them. Their ministers address these
terrorists as 'freedom fighters'," he says, adding that such a scenario
had 'serious implications' for South and South-East Asia
However, even as he indicted the Bangladeshi government for 'supporting'
terrorism, he added that 'this was in no way a reflection on the society
as a whole' and that the country was not completely shorn of liberals.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
and wonderous display of secular/intellectual dhimmitude follows
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->His argument found support in other panelists like--Justice G.N. Ray,
chairman, Press Council of India and H.K. Dua, editor, The Tribune who
believe that India should not haste in branding Bangladesh as a 'terror
state'.
"Even as there are many activities done to destabilise the state, we
should take into account the moderate elements in Bangladesh who want
peace," says Ray.
Dua believes that even if Bangladesh had seceded from the Indian
cultural ethos and had adopted a 'hostile' attitude towards India, we
should not disappoint the <b>secular and liberal elements of that country
who want 'only peace'.</b>Â <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
"India should deal with the growing threat from Bangladesh carefully. It
is a soft state and the fundamentalism there has reached a serious
stage. But we should support all the secular people there, the writers,
the civil society, the journalists who have the courage to fight the
terror elements within their country," he says.
Dua reasons that one way to do so would be to discourage the
fundamentalist activities in our own country.
"We should not do anything here in India that encourages the terrorists
in Bangladesh. <b>We should condemn the fundamentalist elements of our country, discourage the rath yatras and outfits like Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) and stand by the secular fabric of our country. All this
will convey a strong message to militants in Bangladesh that we would
not tolerate any of their activities," he concludes.</b>Â <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->Â <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The bottom line: Bangladesh with its 'growing Islamic terrorism' today
is like an unexploded grenade and India has to gear itself to not just
prevent it from exploding but also be suitably equipped for the
aftermath of the explosion.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Look East, terror may be lurking there: Gill
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Sunday, November 20, 2005 at 1447 hours IST
New Delhi, November 20: India needs to wake up to new realities believes
'Super Cop' K.P.S. Gill who wants the authorities to acknowledge the
'threats' emerging from the eastern neighbour-Bangladesh.
"Threats to India's security have been emanating from the East and the
north-east for a very long time now. But somehow the Indian security has
never considered it seriously," says gill, who is the president of
Institute of Conflict Management.
The former Punjab DGP, who is credited with rooting out terrorism from
militancy-infested Punjab and Assam, believes that as East has never
been the 'focus of attention' as far as India's security is concerned,
resultantly Bangladesh has never been seen as a 'cause of worry' for
India.
"It's time we understand the changing scenario in our neighbourhood.
Bangladesh has experienced an alarming rise in Islamist fundamentalism
in the recent years. The country is being used as a base and a training
centre by terrorists. Of late, it has become a supplier of arms and
weaponry to al-Qaida and allied terrorist outfits," says Gill who
believes 'strongly' that India needed to deal with this situation
seriously.
Known for his 'expertise' in dealing with terrorism, he is a key advisor
to the governments and institutions on security-related issues. He
strongly believes that the government needs a rethink on the immigration
policy of the country.
"There is so much of illegal immigration. There are thousands of
Bangladeshis who come to India. We must understand that it is not always
due to poverty as some of these areas that they come to are no better,
economically, than the ones they have migrated from. So it's clear that
they are coming for some other purposes," he says.
Speaking at a recent panel discussion to mark the release of the
book--Bangladesh-The Next Afghanistan?--Gill also felt that the
Bangladesh government is doing little to combat terrorism in their
country.
"Bangladesh have sheltered terrorist groups from India for many years.
They have encouraged them, promoted them. Their ministers address these
terrorists as 'freedom fighters'," he says, adding that such a scenario
had 'serious implications' for South and South-East Asia
However, even as he indicted the Bangladeshi government for 'supporting'
terrorism, he added that 'this was in no way a reflection on the society
as a whole' and that the country was not completely shorn of liberals.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
and wonderous display of secular/intellectual dhimmitude follows
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->His argument found support in other panelists like--Justice G.N. Ray,
chairman, Press Council of India and H.K. Dua, editor, The Tribune who
believe that India should not haste in branding Bangladesh as a 'terror
state'.
"Even as there are many activities done to destabilise the state, we
should take into account the moderate elements in Bangladesh who want
peace," says Ray.
Dua believes that even if Bangladesh had seceded from the Indian
cultural ethos and had adopted a 'hostile' attitude towards India, we
should not disappoint the <b>secular and liberal elements of that country
who want 'only peace'.</b>Â <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> "India should deal with the growing threat from Bangladesh carefully. It
is a soft state and the fundamentalism there has reached a serious
stage. But we should support all the secular people there, the writers,
the civil society, the journalists who have the courage to fight the
terror elements within their country," he says.
Dua reasons that one way to do so would be to discourage the
fundamentalist activities in our own country.
"We should not do anything here in India that encourages the terrorists
in Bangladesh. <b>We should condemn the fundamentalist elements of our country, discourage the rath yatras and outfits like Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) and stand by the secular fabric of our country. All this
will convey a strong message to militants in Bangladesh that we would
not tolerate any of their activities," he concludes.</b>Â <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->Â <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The bottom line: Bangladesh with its 'growing Islamic terrorism' today
is like an unexploded grenade and India has to gear itself to not just
prevent it from exploding but also be suitably equipped for the
aftermath of the explosion.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->