For once India has made its intentions clear while tackling terror with terror, a doctrine advocated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recently. The surgical operations carried out by Indian Army along the Nagaland and Manipur borders near Myanmar, inflicting significant casualties on two groups of northeast insurgents suspected to be behind 4th June attack on army convoy claiming the lives of 18 Indian Army men, should sent a clear message to anybody who is nurturing any sort of misadventure against India. The proactive action also reflects that politically there is no leadership vacuum, which was experienced during the Congress-led- UPA regime, which saw an increase in trans-border intrusions. Unfortunately the ‘terror for terror’ dictum ran into trouble in Jammu and Kashmir, which too has been facing the onslaught of insurgency for over two decades and the sympathisers always cried foul whenever Union Government took a tough stand. The separatist leaders have failed to look beyond the myopic outlook so the uncalled for reaction over Defence Minister’s statement. The Naga insurgent outfit NSCN (Khapang) had claimed responsibility for the ambush calling it a joint operation with other like-minded militant groups. NSCN (K) was the only outfit which has unilaterally ended the ceasefire with Indian security agencies at the behest of Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army, so indirectly it is PLA which is keeping the northeast militancy alive. Nagas were the first to raise the banner of insurgency in 1956 leaving the hills to fight for an independent Naga homeland from London. Manipuris never accepted merger agreement with India signed on 15th October, 1949. This is the first time that a major militant attack on armed forces was carried out since the BJP Govt took over the charge in Centre with a promise of tough stand on security. There have been intelligence inputs ahead of the current encounter and the army operation comes in time. Of the seven eastern states Mizoram is the only peaceful one. This came out after signing the Mizoram accord between the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front and India on 30th June, 1986.
