Because we are different.

Satisfaction in a limited sense

2 December 2012

Issue 1 ~ Ajmal Kasab’s hanging will not really deter state-backed terrorists trained to wage war on India

Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani gunman caught alive after the terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people in 2008 was finally executed on 21 November, 2012. This was the first capital punishment imposed in India since Dhananjay Chatterjee was hanged at a Kolkata jail in August 2004. Celebrations were reported from the streets of Mumbai and some other cities but militant groups in Pakistan swore vengeance. Justice has been done after a tedious legal battle that lasted for years. While a death sentence always attracts ambiguous feelings, Kasab’s execution came as a big relief for the citizens of India. The families of the victims as well as the common people are grateful to the President for rejecting Kasab’s mercy plea. His hanging was aptly timed. It silenced the voices that accused India of being lenient in its treatment of terrorists. And came ahead of Parliament’s winter session. But the hype over Kasab’s execution does not guarantee enhanced security. His hanging unlikely to deter terrorists ready to die on suicide missions. True, the victims’ families have cause for satisfaction but only in a limited sense that Kasab did not get away with his crime. But given shifting global feelings about execution in general, it may become more difficult for the government of India to get other nations to extradite criminals.
narayan chandra ghosh,
27 november, madanpur

Bury the hatchet
The hanging of Ajmal Kasab has brought a sense of closure to the victims of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. But this is unlikely to stem state-sponsored terrorism. When a neighbouring state’s policy is built-on a “Hate India” campaign, it is futile to expect a sudden reversal of sentiments. India’s economic growth will fuel the aspirations of neighbouring countries and if our neighbours want similar progress, they cannot go on continuing to harbour ill will against India. Pakistan should wake up to responsible governance and sternly deal with terrorist camps on its soil. The future of the subcontinent depends on Pakistan’s willingness to bury the hatchet.
ps ponnuswami,
26 november, kolkata

Eradicate root cause
Terrorist organisations such as Laskar-e-Taiyyaba started flowering in response to a master plan prepared by General Zia-ul-Haq, the late supreme administrator of Pakistan. After a humiliating defeat in Dhaka on December 1971, Zia vowed to get back at India by nurturing terrorist organisations. Zia could have become the subcontinent’s answer to Adolf Hitler had his plane not crashed when it did. Ajmal Kasab was a product of the Laskar-e-Taiyyaba killing factory. But his execution should also send a message to Students Islamic Movement of India, Bajrang Dal and other organisations that have capitalised on and fan communal sentiments to retain visibility. Ajmal Kasab was no more than a killing machine and unless the root cause is eradicated, hanging even a thousand Kasabs would not change anything.
pijus kanti sarkar,
26 november, kolkata

Mere pawn
The execution of Ajmal Kasab is being heralded in India as a huge achievement in the country’s battle against terrorism. However, Kasab was merely a pawn in the far more sinister game of terrorism. It is appalling that in a poor country like India, crores of tax-payers’ money were spent on the upkeep of a terrorist, simply because we wanted to show the world how fair the Indian justice system is. But was it really fair to the people of India? Kasab’s trial should have been speedier. Fortunately, unlike former President Pratibha Patil, current President Pranab Mukherjee chose not to prevaricate. Until Afzal Guru, Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi ~ who are bigger players ~ are brought to justice, India can’t claim to have made a significant dent on terrorism. State-backed foreign terrorists will in fact be happy that Delhi was content with sending a mere pawn to the gallows. But the execution did send out a message. Hopefully, future trials of foreign terrorists unlucky enough to be caught on Indian soil will be speedier.
unmesh ganguly,
26 november, kolkata

Symbolic victory
Pakistan’s reaction to the hanging of Ajmal Kasab was not what one would expect from a contrite country. No civilised country can condone terrorism, much less sponsor it. But Pakistan seems to have no such qualms. India is drawing false comfort from
Kasab’s execution. As long as Pakistan allows its soil to be used for terrorist activities Delhi needs to be on the guard. It will be juvenile to expect that Kasab’s hanging will made Pakistan see reason. If the Indian government considers the execution of Kasab as a victory against terrorism, it should be realistic enough to see it as no more than a symbolic victory.
samir chakraborty,
27 november, ramrajatala

Of no consequence
If we think that terrorism will come to an end with the death of Ajmal Kasab, we shall be mistaken. Because, the principal plotters of the 26/11 mayhem are still at large and Pakistan seems reluctant to conduct a speedy trial to do justice. Pakistan’s military and ISI frequently train terrorists and the country is home to hundreds of terrorist-training camps. There are many Ajmals in Pakistan who are ready to liquidate Indian people because they have been brain-washed to believe that killing a non-Muslim opens a direct route to heaven. What Pakistan forgets is that India has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population. Therefore, the hanging of Kasab is of no consequence.
ranjan gupta,
27 november, kolkata

Playing with fire
Terrorists flourishing on the soil of Pakistan will not learn a lesson from hanging of Ajmal Kasab. Because, life is expendable in the terrorist camps and for every Kasab sent to the gallows, hundreds will be eager to take his place. Little or no education and acute poverty make such youth easy targets for terrorists Unless our neighbouring country realises that no purpose will be served with mass killing, the execution of Kasan will make no difference. When will Pakistan realise that nation building is more important than sponsoring terrorism? It must stop playing with fire.
saswato gupta,
26 november, kolkata