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IN a recent article, Mr B. Raman, the analyst of terrorism-related issues, wrote: "... Till to-day, the nation does not have a credible counter-terrorism (CT) doctrine based on national consensus. There has been no clear identification of the overt and covert options available and no determination to use those options. All we have is rhetoric. Of the four Special Task Forces appointed by the Government after Kargil in 2000, three — those on the intelligence apparatus, internal security and border management — made important recommendations in September 2000. Our political parties have had no time till now to have a meaningful discussion on them and on the follow-up action taken by the Government..."

The neglect can only be termed criminal as it has dangerous implications. Not the least of which is the marginalisation of India, as an ineffectual player, in the eyes of the partners in the coalition to wage war on terror. It is bound to embolden terrorists under various banners to make India a veritable vipers' nest for their lethal depredations, not just to bleed India in Kashmir, but to suck it into the vortex of the International Islamic Front for Jihad against the US and Israel.

To what extent policy makers are clear-eyed in understanding the multifarious facets of terrorism is itself doubtful. There has been no effort on the Government's part to enunciate its approach and strategy and seek the endorsement of Parliament. Its unwillingness to regard Parliament as a co-equal partner in security and Defence policy making and make full and complete information available to it compounds its dithering. The result is that the top elected body plays a minimal and fitful role as a bridge-builder between the Government and the people on security issues.

In general, there is a sense of lack of participation in fashioning a national consensus on security-related and defence-oriented policies among opinion-leaders, academic institutions, the civil society and the media, leave alone the lay public, leading to a yawning gap in the perception and grasp of their implications and a readiness to accept the official version in the spirit of "The Government knows best". Even if some comments or criticisms are offered by institutions and individuals outside the Government, they tend to be largely peripheral. Unless people's participation is accepted as an inalienable component of an effective and durable security system, the war against terrorism cannot be waged with success.

Similarly, the Government has been needlessly coy in sharing the salient recommendations/conclusions of the National Security Advisory Board which has been at work for more than three years, purportedly examining vital issues bearing on security, including terrorism. The Government must realise that the stakes are too high for it to ignore the will and consent of the people in forging a counter-terrorism doctrine for without their cooperation it can never hope to win.

B. S. Raghavan

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