Amnesty offer is just

Sir,- The Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani's announcement on the move to provide amnesty to the security personnel entrusted with counter-insurgency operations appears to be to give retrospective effect to such a decision. The announcement has received adverse comments on the ground that rights violations could be condoned under any circumstances. It will be worthwhile for the critics who are keen to safeguard human rights at any cost to pause a little and look at the ground realities.

The security personnel who are deployed to counter secessionism and separatism are virtually waging a war against the anti- national elements, at a very great risk to their lives. When militants strike at military and police posts, public places and residential areas, killing people performing their national duty and innocent families, the critics usually come up with harsh comments that the Government is inept and the security forces are ineffective. But when the security personnel act on information and make pre-emptive strikes or arrests, there is a hue and cry that human rights have been violated. It will be absurd to expect the personnel to engage the services of a human rights specialist to guide their operations so that they do not become guilty of violating them.

It is very easy to condemn every encounter as a fake one. In this highly-complicated task of anticipating and pre-empting deadly strikes by hardcore terrorists, there should necessarily be freedom of action. Trust is a key factor. The fear of the possibility of being hauled up for rights violations will make the personnel indecisive, cowardly and ineffective. They should have the guarantee that their action taken in good faith will be fully supported. The Punjab situation could not have been brought under control if at every step security personnel were reminded that they stood the risk of facing action for possible violations.

The important thing is that we should not forget that for every such attack which takes place 10 others have been prevented by the pre-emptive operations of security forces. Nobody thanks them for this. These are the hard realities and why should anyone question the sincerity and the logic behind Mr. Advani's announcement? Amnesty is a morale-boosting step and not any authority to the security personnel to go berserk.

S. Varadan,

Former Secretary to the President

Gurgaon, Haryana

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