Hunter and the hunted

Hemal Ashar the writer on how we've become experts at tracking terror and making a tamasha out of it

Hemal Ashar the writer on how we've become experts at tracking terror and making a tamasha out of it

Just recently, the United Kingdom (UK) police swooped down on 12 men including 11 UK-based Pakistanis for planning a terror attack. Early reports say the plan included specific targets in Manchester. It makes one think about the strides the world has made towards unravelling terror plots. Since 'bad news is good news' for the

High alert: NSG commandos in action during a mock exercise of Parliament attack File Pic

media, an attack that goes through naturally gets more coverage than foiled plots. A programme on a news channel showed the US and its allies hunting down the extremists in the mountains of Bajaur in Pakistan. It was surprising just to see how much they (US and allies) knew about the extremists and how effectively they were mowing them down. This is not to say that an attack might never go through or that all terror plans may be intercepted, but the world is stumbling, slipping up at times and marching on to snuff out terrorism. That so much blood has been spilt and lives lost in this battle is a sobering thought. Yet, to ignore this side of this contemporary confrontation is to look at the glass as being half empty, rather than half full.

Justice delayed

As Mumbai gears up for 26/11 accused Ajmal Qasab's trial, one reads the news that China executed two members of its Muslim Uighur group for a 'terrorist' attack. The attack was an attempt to sabotage the 2008 Olympics and killed 17 policemen. While the execution will not bring back the dead, it might provide some closure to those who lost their loved ones. Compare this to the state of those whose family members were killed in the Parliament attack in 2001. After all these years, the accused, Afzal Guru, continues to be used as a political pawn. While China has meted out justice within a year of the attack, we are still debating on what steps to take, seven years on. The relatives of those killed in the Parliament attack are hopelessly waiting for justice. It makes one rethink the effectiveness of 'democracy'.