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Opinion
Bloody 2006
No End to Violence in 2007
by
Col. Rahul K. Bhonsle
The violence
in the year 2006 slowly slipping past us is a sad reminder of the state
of the World increasingly at the mercy of the bomb and the gun. Civilian
deaths crossed the figure of 100,000 in Iraq which saw maximum violence
during the year. While in other regions of West Asia, continued strife
wrecked homes of thousands. Lebanon was the hardest hit when the
kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by the Hezbollah resulted in retaliatory
air strikes by Tel Aviv killing thousands. For the first time, the
Israeli population felt the heat of the war as Hezbollah rockets
continued to rain on many of its vulnerable cities. The death count was
supplemented by thousands who had to be evacuated including many from
South Asia.
The
internecine conflict in Palestine continues unabated with President
Jimmy Carter now calling it apartheid against the Palestinians. Further
South, Sudan and Chad saw continued fighting between rival factions and
even the United Nations logistics complex was looted by miscreants.
Congo held elections but bloodshed continues. Somalia is another African
country in the critical area of the Horn of Africa which saw the Islamic
Courts battling with the United Nations backed regime in Baidoa, the,
“notional capital” of the country supported by Ethiopia. The country is
already a haven for pirates, with all ships warned to keep off the
coastal areas notorious for way lading.
Coming further East to Afghanistan, NATO forces were trapped in their
first bloody encounters after the Second World War as a resurgent
Taliban struck back with vengeance in the southern belt of Kandahar and
Helmand while Kabul continued to be under threat of suicide bombers. A
hot summer is expected in Afghanistan particularly in the Southern areas
and along the Durand line with Pakistan as the Taliban are reportedly
well entrenched in Waziristan. Pakistan suffered a crippling blow with a
suicide attack on the Punjab Regimental Centre at Dargai, a couple of
hundred kilometers from Islamabad, the first such major strike on a
Pakistani army camp which killed over 35 trainees. Baluchistan continued
to be on the boil with the killing of Akbar Bugti, which resulted in
uniting the Marri-Mengal-Bugti tribal clans against the Pakistani
regime.
Further south in Sri Lanka, a virtual civil war, called by many analysts
as Tamil Ealam IV erupted in the middle of the year and the deaths have
reportedly crossed over 3500, the highest after the cease fire was put
into place in 2002. With hardening stand by both sides, even the
Norwegian peace mission is not hopeful of any respite in the fratricidal
conflict in the Island, where the LTTE losing its hold on the Eastern
parts is increasingly belligerent. India will have to plunge into Island
politics to find a lasting solution and stop the blood shed; hopefully
the inflection point for the same will be reached in 2007.
Bangladesh is in the midst of civil strife as it goes to elections next
year, apart from a number of active fundamentalist groups as the Jamaat
Mujaheedin Bangladesh. The safe sanctuary provided to Indian terrorist
groups of the North East has been a point of bitterness between the two
countries apart from frequent exchange of fire between the border
guards. Myanmar too is indulgent towards the militants of Manipur and
Nagaland, primarily as the power of the state does not reach the remote
Indo Myanmar border. Bhutan the idyllic kingdom was also rocked by
unrest and blasts in its southern town of Phuntsholing with a restive
Nepali refugee problem rocking the state. Nepal is one state during the
Year which showed promise of peace ahead as a historic come down by the
monarchy in the face of popular public support to the Maoists and the
Seven Party Alliance sees United Nations supported elections in 2007.
India’s tryst with terror continued, the vilest attack being on Suburban
trains in the commercial capital, Mumbai in which 187 people lost their
lives in July. The Naxal threat looms large in the underdeveloped tribal
belt of Central India engulfing several states and affecting over 160
districts, while Kashmir and the North East continue to throw up
challenges to the nation’s security establishment. A coordinated multi
pronged response with a resolve to stay the course alone will see some
light in the year ahead.
There were many discordant political issues during the year which
affected even the developed World ranging from the trouble on the US
Mexican border to the Quebecois in Canada, Russia’s energy play,
Nigeria’s oil mafia and the coup in Fiji. As the UN Secretary General,
Kofi Annan demits office after a decade’s service to bring peace; the
flash points in a volatile World continue to engage our attention in the
year ahead.
December 24, 2006
Top
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Opinion
The Week of December 24, 2006
Indo-Pak
Peace Talks: Moving on the Wrong Track by Rajinder Puri
2006 : The Year of Indian Diaspora by Aroonim
Bhuyan
Bloody 2006: No End to Violence in 2007 by
Col. Rahul K. Bhonsle
Words Meaning Changes and Misuse by Bush & Bin Laden
by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
In 2006, Courts Put the Fear of Law in the High
and Mighty by Rana Ajit
Can It Be The Beginning of The End of Partition?
by Amulya Ganguli
A Bold Judiciary Augurs Well for the Nation by
Maxwell Pereira
A Samuel Pepys of Emergency India by V.
Sundaram
Which God's Own Country by J. Ajithkumar
Communist Turnaround : From 'Land to Tiller' to
'Land to Tatas' by Amulya Ganguli
Communalism or Affirmative Action by Ram
Puniyani
Counting on People by Swapna Majumdar
A Tribute to a Poet by V. Sundaram
Urban Floods: Bane for
the People by VK Joshi
Tackling the
Water Crisis by Mini Sharma
In Quest of Space Colonization by Subra
Narayan
Psoriasis by Dr. Savitha Suri
Toxic Blood by Yasmin Rimi
Investing in Indian Real Estate: Is Your Checklist
Complete? by Sandeep Donald Shah
Why is Literature Indispensable for Human Life?
by TA Ramesh
Three Cheers for Thuggee Raj! by V. Sundram
Recognition for NARI's Work - A Report
The Village Bride of Beverly Hills a Book
review by K. Bharati
A Lonely Christmas in Jerusalem Shoshana
Kordova
Exposing the Hidden Half by Devindra Kohli
Porn & Mainstream Media Boundaries have become
Blurred by Elsa sherin Mathews
Mothers' Help: Home Surveillance Systems by
Gagandeep Kaur
Kerala's Feisty Fisherwomen by Nilanjana Biswas
Maternal Mortality: Civil Societies Call for Action
by Anil Gulati
The Olympics in London by Rajesh Talwar
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