news details |
|
|
| Indian Muslim community can't be ignored | | Former RAW chief calls for constant dialogue | |
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JULY 23: A.S. Dulat, former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has let it be known that the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 and the Gujarat riots in 2002 have provided the fuel for disgruntled Muslim youth in India.
Dulat, who is counted one among the specialists on Jammu and Kashmir, insists that here is a need to understand the Muslim mind. In a media interview, the former RAW chief has emphasized that here is need for constant dialogue with Muslim comunity.
When asked if the briefing given by the National Security Advisor, M.K. Narayanan, to the Union Cabinet about the Pakistan link of the Mumbai bomb blasts was a correct one, A.S. Dulat was quoted as saying: "The Pakistan link is definitely there in every act of terrorism that occurs in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also a fact that disgruntled Muslim boys from Uttar Pradesh have been going to Pakistan for training since the early 1990s".
What could be the role of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in the terror operations inside India? Dulat's reply: The foot-soldiers are always the local elements, though the planning and training would have been done outside.
When he was asked to comment on the 'sleeper cells', Dulat let it be known: "It is just that recruits are leading ordinary lives, pursuing their daily occupation of being a carpenter or a kiosk-owner. And when the time comes for action, they move in. Let us look at SIMI. After it was banned in 2001, it went underground. Once underground, it is so much easier to recruit more number of people. I believe that SIMI has been growing in some districts of Maharashtra, especially those bordering on Gujarat".
What is the way of dealing with the situation? A.S. Dulat's answer ran thus: "I think there is a need to understand the Muslim mind, and to engage in a constant dialogue with the community. Unfortunately, there are no leaders of stature among the Muslims who can serve as interlocutors".
Former RAW chief's convincing finding: In the past, there always used to be some Muslim stalwarts in the Congress party. There are no such leaders at the present moment.
And as Dulat made a passing reference to the existing state of affairsw, he did highlight the significance of Kashmir's Farooq Abdullah. He placed himself on record saying: "I think that former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, is the tallest and popular Muslim leader both in his own State and also in the country".
==================
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
