“I have never advocated war except as a means of peace” – Ulysses S
Grant
Illich Ramirez Sanchez a.k.a Carlos the Jackal AND Abu Nidal!
While growing up, I was always mesmerized with these two names. Mesmerized with utter disgust! For,
these two names had always ‘shaken’ the world in the utmost destructive way.
For the uninitiated, both were high level terrorists. While Carlos’ centre of
activity was mainly Europe , for Abu Nidal , the founder of Fatah (The Militant
Palestine group) it was both Middle-East and also Europe. Many terror attacks,
were ascribed to them.
I always wondered what if Abu Nidal, the smuggler of terror
(as I used to call him) brings his business here?
But then I used to
laugh it off, thinking as a mere figment of imagination. How could terror ever
visit my country.
I was never so wrong…. A bloody Friday proved me so!
By the late afternoon of 12th March 1993, I was
proven wrong.
A normal day in Delhi! The winter was almost bidding us good
bye and I remember, studying very hard, as my class 12th boards were
going on. By late afternoon, the first
whisper of rumour (as it was thought so initially) started coming in.
Unbelievable! How could this happen and more importantly,
why should it happen? But in some time, it was confirmed.
The worst ever terror attack, planned and perpetrated by
Islamists, had come home. I don’t think an attack of such magnitude had ever
happened before in any country. The world had seen Munich massacre or London
bombings (during IRA fights) or bombings in Italy or Israel BUT such magnitude.
Mumbai terror attacks, by the home grown Islamists, was a wakeup
call. A rude one, at that! The financial capital of India and a major nodal
centre of the globe, was attacked. More than 350 people killed. 12 serial
blasts.
That was an era without any social media, but by evening, the board exams were forgotten
and all of us were just in front of TV to watch DD News unravelling the gory
sights from Mumbai.
There was nothing to say but everything to imagine and more to fear.
In some time, it was known that the mastermind behind the
attacks was none other than Dawood Ibrahim. Now along with those two names at
the top, this was a man who I used to follow, through newspapers, whenever and
whatever was published.
Dawood Ibrahim, who was a fugitive already was a
known name but this attacks elevated him to another level. Tiger Memon , hie
lieutenant who carried out the operations meticulously (Please read the book –Black
Friday by Hussain Zaidi to understand the operations). Both Dawood and Tiger
are still at large.
There was another factor! A man called Asad Durrani. The head
of ISI in Pakistan. He had moved out by Feb 1993 but it was he who was equally
responsible. Such an operation could not have happened without the blessings of
ISI. It was ISI which managed to procure the RDX for Dawood. RDX was used in
the attacks, brought in Mumbai through small adjoining ports.
The predecessor of Durrani was the ill famous, ruthless,
bloody and brilliant Hamid Gul, the man
who planned, supported and blessed the Kashmir terror activities which had started barely three years earlier. Both Gul
and Durrani, and all others before them and after, with true belief in the
ethos of ISI, always hated India to the core.
The reason was
ascribed to the Hindu muslim riots in Mumbai
after the demolition of an illegal mosque in Ayodhya called Babri Masjid. Dawood, Tiger planned the
revenge. Apparently, one key stirrer was when Hasina Parker (the dreaded sister
of Dawood) sent him bangles after the riots.
Larger question here is that did
riots happen for the first time? In maximum riots in India, it is Hindus who
bore the brunt but they never made bombs and killed their own countrymen. However,
it is another topic of debate.
What is alarming is that the two main conspirators are still
at large. Had it been Israel or US, by now they would have been in their
graves. It speaks volumes about the muck that seeped in the politics of Congress.
Sharad Pawar was the Chief Minister. He tried
to mislead the investigators saying there is another blast being planned. 13th
blast. There was no 13th blast.
A recent remark by Mr. Sood, an ex Intelligence officer
(published in Opindia) where he clearly mentioned that Sharad pawar had links
with Dawood. Again, this is topic for
another debate
Where does it end? Mumbai blasts opened the floodgates to
similar terror attacks. We became the hot favourite of Radical Islamists.
Congress government never unleashed any counter attack on them. Thanks to such repulsive attitude of Congress, today it is very difficult to get Dawood. He is the most special guest of ISI, sitting in his huge bungalow in Defence Colony, Karachi.
Had we had a government with intent, Dawood would have long ago been either arrested or terminated. both are welcome.
For the first
time, under Mr. Modi, we can see a focused attack on the terror perpetrators. Like
Grant said, we need to unleash a war to maintain peace.
War on terror, that is. Whatever
it takes….and i am sure that it is just some time, before we get our hands on the biggest enemy of our nation.
