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Must work together

Young Bites. Dated: 2/21/2018 10:46:13 AM

The role of civil society and religious communities in the fight against terror should not be underestimated. It would be foolhardy to think that the police and law enforcement machinery would be able to reach out to the entire country to create a safe and secure environment. Even the best of the intelligence gathering mechanisms will not be able to find out all the information that is sometimes needed in the fight against terrorism. The civil society needs to be empowered so that the much needed information available in the public domain regarding terror networks is shared with the police and law enforcement machinery. India is a complex society to govern. The Central government and the State governments have their own jurisdictions on many matters and both share the power to legislate on many subjects. It is important to recognize that continuous terrorist attacks in India have taken a heavy human toll, affected the social and economic development of the country and more seriously, undermined the democratic fabric and the governance capabilities of our society. The politics of national security should give way to political consensus for developing new mechanisms to fight terrorism. Any new mechanism should keep in mind the shared principle of governance, regardless of party in power and a responsibility to work together. There should be greater joint efforts among State governments as well as between the Central and State and governments. The role of religious communities should be encouraged. Religious leaders can play an important role in creating a better environment in our religious institutions so that any form of ideology that advocates violence can be discouraged early. In fact, it would be a mistake to isolate the leaders of religious communities in efforts to fight terror, as they would be able to provide the precious form of legitimacy that is necessary for any success in the fight against terror. Another important issue that receives less attention in the larger framework of policies to fight terrorism is related to creating secure and humane societies. Our governments ought to continue to work towards eradicating poverty, reducing disparities of income and wealth, eliminating corruption and indeed formulating good governance policies. Responses to terrorism should not result in the government ignoring any of these problems, as it is important to create a society that respects human freedoms in all its manifestations. Since terrorism attacks this fundamental notion of human freedom, we should fight it with wholehearted commitment.