Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003
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By Neena Vyas
The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, being greeted by the former Miss World, Lara Dutta, as the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, looks on at the inauguration of the International Youth Conference on Terrorism in New Delhi on Monday. — Photo: Rajeev Bhatt
Democracies and liberal societies were the most vulnerable to terrorist attacks — India was one of the worst-affected — and often the financiers of terrorist organisations were military and totalitarian regimes, Mr. Vajpayee argued. Terrorism attacked democratic societies because it is intolerant and impatient to impose its own social order on peoples. Fighting the menace often meant taking unpopular steps which included some infringement and curtailment of liberties, Mr. Vajpayee said, adding that "human rights of terrorists cannot override those of their victims". Inaugurating the International Youth Conference on Terrorism organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, Mr. Vajpayee unwaveringly pointed his finger of suspicion: "Jihadi terrorism has become the principal form of terrorism, not because Islam justifies it... no religion preaches hatred or sanctions killings... but terrorist groups were using religion as a shield, a cover for the campaign of hatred". These groups were also trying to impose an intolerant social order on the people, he added, perhaps referring to the "fatwa" on the wearing of the "burqa" by women and "orders" prohibiting women from working outside their homes. He did not spare the extremists of his own ideological family, the Sangh Parivar, when he obliquely referred to organisations claiming to work for the majority community spreading their campaign of hatred, inciting passions and violence, but stopped short of describing them as terrorists. Mr. Vajpayee then went on to emphasise that India had lost 60,000 innocent lives to terrorism over two decades but the menace became part of the collective global consciousness only after the September 11 attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York 17 months ago. Major terrorist attacks in Moscow, Bali and Mombasa had reinforced the consciousness. Terrorism was a menace from which no country was immune, he warned.
`Dubious logic'
He reiterated that there can be no double standards in dealing with terrorism — terrorist acts cannot be described as terrorism in one country and as "freedom struggle" somewhere else. Such an attitude was counterproductive. It was "dubious logic", he said. The international community had to remain vigilant to prevent terrorist organisations getting chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction. But there was no need to be frightened of terrorism for it was bound to be defeated. The young people had always been attracted by idealism and they dreamed of a "good future for themselves, their nations and the world," Mr. Vajpayee said. He was glad that the conference had a positive emphasis. It was not only "against terrorism" but also "for a global dialogue for peace".
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