Was Mumbai 26/11 A Practice Target?

The recent attacks, 3/3/2009 on Sri Lankan cricketers and 30/3/2009 on police training school, both in Lahore, Pakistan, make you wonder.

Were 26/11/2008 attacks on Mumbai practice targets for the strategists who plan these attacks in these terror organizations (they appear to be actually one entity by different names). I mean if you attack Mumbai, starting your journey from Karachi plus plant some of the terrorists in advance as employees in business houses, then you do get lots of data to analyse for next attacks. If the next few attacks are going to be within Pakistan, then based on data collected during Mumbai attack, the strategists in these terror organisation will have much easier task at hand. And I do believe that the immediate target of these extremists cum terrorists is Pakistan. Once Pakistan is in their hands, they will seriously turn towards India.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, India's bigger concern should be Taliban and not Pakistan army. As mentioned in that blog, India should start an initiative to contain/exterminate these extremists by asking Pakistan, US, China, US, Afghanistan and maybe Russia to join hands.

If left unchecked. with time this problem will become only bigger and the price to be paid to solve it enormous. Even now the price is not going to be small. But it will be nothing compared to what it is going to become in 2-3 years if nothing is done about it. The politicians and decision makers must wake up to these realities and face this challenge up front.

 

Skand Bhargava

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Is Policeman's Life Less Important Than A Cricketer's?

I do understand that policemen will be needed for crowd control. I also understand that a well organised posse of policemen will go after a gang of dacoits and may even lose some brave men. I do not deny that some policemen will be seriously injured in line of duty while controlling riots.

But why should an unsuspecting policeman be used as a sacrificial pawn to protect another person who has knowingly ventured out to play or watch a game of bat and ball, despite all the warnings?

Are we saying that playing cricket is so important that it is okay to let some policemen die while trying to save the life of some cricketers or watchers?

My point is: if we already know that there is grave danger to life from a faceless enemy who can appear from nowhere and at will, then the police force should be used to weed out the source of that danger in an organised and planned manner; not as fodder to terrorists who can attack as and when they like. Why should we assume that it is the duty of policemen to save the life of reckless people involved in playing and watching the game when the right thing for them was to stay at home?

Seriously, why should you be held responsible to save my life, if inspite of all the warnings, I am foolish enough to go out to play or watch a game where a bat hits a ball? Just because you are a policeman? Frankly, I am not convinced.