Fighting Terrorism | Social Issue Essay, Article, Paragraph for Class 12, Graduation and Competitive Examination.

Fighting Terrorism

Scheme of the essay

Exposition: During the last few decades many countries were almost paralysed by terrorists’ actions.

Rising Action: The series of incidents of bombing, kidnapping, hijacking, etc, indicate security inefficiency.

Climax:

(a) Terrorism is supported by the pro-terrorists states (b) Factors contributing to terrorism are varied.

(c) It is suspected that security officials are in complicity with smugglers there is a nexus between smugglers and terrorists.

Falling Action: Terrorism is a social disease.

Ending: How to end terrorism – a few suggestions.

The backward pull of religion, caste, and the ‘divide and destroy’ game of terrorists has complicated the domestic situation in many states and societies. During the last few decades, many countries were almost paralyzed and troubles were heightened to near-disaster levels by terrorist’s ruthless, vicious, and lawless actions. Over the years terrorism has found its niche in the political scene across the globe. International terrorism, though comparatively less in volume than the domestic variety, has crossed all limitations despite increased government efforts to combat it. Much blood, if not ink, has flowed since terrorists struck a shocking sequence of bombings in the World Trade Centre, in New York. Twelve extremely powerful bombs went off in succession within a space of two and a half hours in Bombay, killing scores of people.

Elsewhere in the world at the same time, events unfolded very differently. The provisional Irish Republican Army resumed the massive bombing campaign to drive the British out; Sri Lanka continues to grapple with terrorist onslaughts and political assassinations, the most noteworthy being of the President Mr. Premadasa. The gruesome bombing of innocent civilians in Oklahoma City (which left more than 200 dead or missing) sent shock waves of the growing threat to security and safety for life and property. In another attempt a few months before, the Basque terrorists detonated a car bomb which was aimed at killing the conservative leader Jose Marfa Aznar in Madrid. According to police and intelligence sources, this was the work of the Basque terrorist organisation (ETA). In a mysterious gas attack at the main train station in Yokohama, Tokyo, more than 200 people were admitted to hospital. This came exactly after a month after the Sarin (a nerve gas) attack on the Tokyo subway that killed 12 persons and left nearly 5,000 hospitalised.

The series of deplorable events leading to various incidents of bombing, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and hijacking across the world are distinct indications of the downside of security efficiency.

An act of terrorism can be judged to have international dimensions if it signifies that the terrorist’s action is supported by foreign pro-terrorist regimes and the act was aimed at influencing international opinion or aimed at overthrowing a particular government. But whether terrorism is unleashed at the local, regional, national, or international level, the means of the terrorists remain almost the same.

There is a score of factors contributing to the spread of terrorism and these include frustrations, fundamentalism, racialism, political intolerance, and religious motives. It is also said that particular sociological, economic, and political conditioning processes contribute to the psychological situation of the growth of violence and terrorism. Sometimes powerful groups exploit the situation for their political and economic interests.

The story of Sikh terrorism in Punjab is different from the Naxalites. The Sikh terrorists in Punjab successfully mixed religion with politics. The Akali Dal launched Dharmayudh in the last few years and created a group of terrorists under the leadership of Sant Bhindranwale. This caused enormous loss of life and posed a threat to the national unity and democratic structure of the country. The lesson of Operation Bluestar is that the Indian state was illegitimised and the terrorists and killers were declared martyrs by the Sikh community. The Rajiv Gandhi and Longowal Accord was an attempt to win the support of the Sikh masses and to isolate the Sikh terrorists. The situation was further improved by supercop K.P.S. Gill. But communal forces were not curbed carefully and as a result terrorism in Punjab still exists, though comparatively much less in degree. On the other hand, the JKLF is demanding a separate state in Kashmir on the basis of geographical, historical, and religious differentiations.

The recovery of cycloptic methylene trinitrate, ultra-frequency communication gadgets, and sophisticated arms from the Khalistan Liberation Front hide-out in Jaipur confirms that terrorists were down but certainly not wiped out of reckoning in India, notwithstanding the security network’s claims. The availability of AK-47 sophisticated rifles, and remote control devices Suggests international links with the maximum possibility of nexus between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Khalistan Liberation Front. The country is still not out of threat since the danger still lurks.

In an environment marked by increasing politicization, easy access to cycloptic Methylene trinitrate (RDX), Erythritol tetranitrate (Penta), and sophisticated weapons like carbines, light mortars, hand grenades, AK-47, and the revolution in communication network, it is not possible for any country to tackle the problem easily.

The complicity of various security officials in dealing with drug smuggling was revealed by the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control meeting which was held in Vienna in June 1987. The UN spokesmen torpedoed the credibility of anti-Narcotic Drug Control officials. The official observed that 8 percent of drugs available in Western European countries go via Bombay.

The international meeting on drug trafficking at the instance. of INTERPOL held during March 1988 in New Delhi revealed the existing obnoxious nexus between terrorists and drug smugglers.

The increasing cases of drug peddling and their support of terrorist and subversive activities have compelled the Union and State Governments in India to enforce drug laws vigorously and promptly. But this alone could not become effective unless the judicial procedure is modified to ensure proper and speedy trial.

The fact is that terrorism is a social disease and an adaptation, as with every change of order it is one form of terrorism which gives way to another. Hence, it must be avoided at all costs. Since the basic cause of terrorism lies in the social, religious, political, economic, and administrative structure of society, appropriate political measures are desirable to bring about some kind of solution. Democratic values among the masses should be inculcated through strengthening healthy democratic institutions and proper education. This apart, an effective intelligence network could provide enough capability to prevent terrorists from striking their targets. First of all, the creation of general awareness and organization of public support against terrorist acts could be of immense use. Secondly, the need for sophisticated security procedures is important to defend the law enforcing authorities. Thirdly, there should be the introduction of positive programs which can transfer the frustrations and grievances of terrorists into some positive work rather than killing and murdering innocent people.