Great post BL.

However, the first major tumbling block for India is the PM himself who goes to certain Madam to ask permission to wipe his A** after every activity....With this kind of PM, there is no way that any of the 'strong' actions can bear any fruits. He is a very educated and respected as an Individual, but as a PM, IMO, a total failure.

IMO, a few senior and able Intelligence officers or IPC level officers (Rebiero, KPS Gill etc..) should form a core group, answerable to no one except the Supreme court or the President (another dummy as of date).

We also need a sensible media coordinator in times as this. During the current coverage I have seen news changing from 4 arrested, 9 Killed (on Wednesday) to 1 arrested, 9 killed (on saturday). There are obvious security and intelligence secrets which cannot be shared with the media and the public in general. All these stories about intelligence gathered from the lone arrested are just that - stories.

The most important part is to be played by the citizens themselves. Every suspicious activity/person needs to be reported and the information vetted out thoroughly and professionally. Besides the actual perpetuators, there are obvious local agents involved in terror strikes of this magnitude. The family and neighbours of these agents need to share information with the concerned intelligence units to be able to avoid these kinds of strikes ever again in future. The so-called human rights activists need to check thier client's backgrounds before screaming for justice for gaining personal points/popularity. All individuals acting against national security interest can be booked or warned under strict anti-terror laws.

Finally, I believe the corporate sector can easily sponsor latest gear for the elite forces to combat these kinds of attacks. It will not be an enormous task for BCCI or TATA or Reliance or ONGC to foot the bills for 1000 sets of protective gear for our elite task force. Infact it will be easier if these corporates themselves source it from the best suppliers and donate it to a central agency to be distributed to the elite task force - this way issues of favouritism or corruption will be eliminated in procurement of these equipment.

I do pray important lessons are learnt from this tragedy.

Hiren

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Originally posted by BlueLobster

1. A full (and quick) review of the national security/intelligence infrastructure. And a specific action plan to remedy gaps. The key to this will be appointing an aggressive, intelligent, competent and incorruptible individual to lead this review and action plan. And once a plan is rolled out, appoint a either the same person or someone equally competent to oversee the operational part of it.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by BlueLobster

So what now? What's going to happen? Is this going to fade away like the previous incidents or is something going to be done?

In my mind, at a very high level, the following things needs to happen ....

1. A full (and quick) review of the national security/intelligence infrastructure. And a specific action plan to remedy gaps. The key to this will be appointing an aggressive, intelligent, competent and incorruptible individual to lead this review and action plan. And once a plan is rolled out, appoint a either the same person or someone equally competent to oversee the operational part of it.
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Why not KPS Gill? Kiran Bedi? Lt Jagmohan?

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Originally posted by BlueLobster

2. A full sweep of ALL Individuals and Organizations within India who wish upon India's demise and have their loyalties lie with other countries. Round them up, get them on a boat, drop them in the ocean and tell them to swim to wherever it is they want to live. I don't care how, suspend democracy, write laws into the constitution but get these rats out. We don't need these traitors spitting in the same plate they eat in.
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What about vote bank of Kangress, Samjawadi, Lalu and MAYA? Seems to be your wishful thinking.

If one follows your suggestion, all Hurriyat leaders qualify for being thrown out instantly and will solve problem forever!!!
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Originally posted by BlueLobster
4. A zero-tolerance response to terrorism in Kashmir. I don't get this freaking nonsense, why give Kashmir this special status?? Haven't we had enough of it already? Rule it with an iron-fist and get all the trouble elements out of it. Reclaim it and make it the tourism heaven it once was, no matter what you have to do. These bastards are now active in the rest of India because they feel they've kind of won in Kashmir by creating the havoc they have. Now they want Junagadh and Hyderabad....Gawd I wish Sardar patel were alive!
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Again wishful thinking. You really do not have to do much. Just allow ANY Indian to buy and own property in Kashmir like Kashmiris have right to in any part of India. There are enough Bihari and UP youth who are prepared to go and settle in Kashmir even at the risk of their life. Sadly no one in India is interested
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Originally posted by BlueLobster
5. Setting up of volunteer citizen units (made up of people of all religions) that assist the govt. in sniffing out terrorists. Given the state of mind of Indians right now, a lot of people want to do a lot, however don't have any guidance or leadership.

These units should also be responsible for providing general citizens training in dealing with terrorists when they strike. The better prepared the population is, the less successful these kinds of attacks will be. People want o be involved so get them involved, a motivated population is a resouce like no other!
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Ever heard of Salwa Judum in Chhatisgarh? These brave people are fighting equally sinister Maoist but our courts have stopped them. Will not work in India. Requires a spirited Judiciary which Indira killed long back
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Originally posted by BlueLobster
6. Set up think tanks from India Inc's top leaders to provide feedback to the unit set up in #1. Everybody's gotta be in this together. Promote education and the importance of getting young people involved in politics. Otherwise we'll continue to be governed by senile old farts or criminals who either can't or don't give a sh*t. It is beyond belief that with allt he economic progress India's still ruled by such thugs and all the progess is "desipte" them, not because of them.

Until we have young energetic people who aspire to a career in politics and a population educated enough to bring them to power, nothing much will change.

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What about Advani? His feet are dangling in grave but still wants to be a PM. He could not give chance to Arun Jaitley or Sushma or Narendra Modi.
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Originally posted by BlueLobster
7. Set up a monument honoring the heroes (both alive and dead) who faced this grim situation with such bravery. Take care of the families of the ones that got injured or died. The freakin' thugs in the govt. can't be counted on to do this, so the private sector should step up to this, they can afford it.

Other ideas?
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If we set up monuments for real Heros, what about thousands of monuments being set up by Maya for Mayawati? We will soon run out of precious space in India considering the rate at which terrorist strike and in the process creating Heroes for us
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Originally posted by BlueLobster
If this incident does not become a wake-up call, nothing ever will. If India slips into the same old apathy in a couple of weeks like it has every time in the past, there will be no way to preserve the dream of the secular democracy where people of all skin colors, religions and ethinicities co-exist and drive towards progress, not conflict.

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and I assure you, this will not wake up India. Thanks to that rascal V.P Singh and pliant judiciary, we will be deeply mired in caste and religiion wars, forever till India as a Nation dies. Sound pessimistic? Well, we are going fast forward in that direction.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by hchheda

Finally, I believe the corporate sector can easily sponsor latest gear for the elite forces to combat these kinds of attacks. It will not be an enormous task for BCCI or TATA or Reliance or ONGC to foot the bills for 1000 sets of protective gear for our elite task force. Infact it will be easier if these corporates themselves source it from the best suppliers and donate it to a central agency to be distributed to the elite task force - this way issues of favouritism or corruption will be eliminated in procurement of these equipment.

I do pray important lessons are learnt from this tragedy.

Hiren

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Quote:

---

Originally posted by BlueLobster

So what now? What's going to happen? Is this going to fade away like the previous incidents or is something going to be done?

In my mind, at a very high level, the following things needs to happen ....

1. A full (and quick) review of the national security/intelligence infrastructure. And a specific action plan to remedy gaps. The key to this will be appointing an aggressive, intelligent, competent and incorruptible individual to lead this review and action plan. And once a plan is rolled out, appoint a either the same person or someone equally competent to oversee the operational part of it.

If they appoint the classic desi career politican to lead something like this (one of those sleazy slimy thugs that we've seen so many of in the past few days), we can kiss security in India goodbye. Its basically downhill from there. Nothing else will be of any value then.

This group should be in charge of anything and everything security across India with a wide range of responsibilities and some very clear accountabilities. And the group should be answerable ONLY to the PM, not to the countless thugs and scoundrels on in the state or the federal govt.

A very key component would be a covert task force that takes care of terrorists outside of India.

2. A full sweep of ALL Individuals and Organizations within India who wish upon India's demise and have their loyalties lie with other countries. Round them up, get them on a boat, drop them in the ocean and tell them to swim to wherever it is they want to live. I don't care how, suspend democracy, write laws into the constitution but get these rats out. We don't need these traitors spitting in the same plate they eat in.

3. An intensive effort to rally support against all countries that breed terrorists that pose a threat to India. Pakistan here is the main culprit and irrespective of whether these 11 slimeballs were trained by their military or not, the Pakistan govt. needs to take immediate action and show results.

There should also be an effort to engage ordinary Pakistanis who realize that terrorism of this sort will benefit neither country. I don't believe that the average educated Pakistani is that different from an average Indian and feel the same way about loss of human life in this manner.

4. A zero-tolerance response to terrorism in Kashmir. I don't get this freaking nonsense, why give Kashmir this special status?? Haven't we had enough of it already? Rule it with an iron-fist and get all the trouble elements out of it. Reclaim it and make it the tourism heaven it once was, no matter what you have to do. These bastards are now active in the rest of India because they feel they've kind of won in Kashmir by creating the havoc they have. Now they want Junagadh and Hyderabad....Gawd I wish Sardar patel were alive!

5. Setting up of volunteer citizen units (made up of people of all religions) that assist the govt. in sniffing out terrorists. Given the state of mind of Indians right now, a lot of people want to do a lot, however don't have any guidance or leadership.

These units should also be responsible for providing general citizens training in dealing with terrorists when they strike. The better prepared the population is, the less successful these kinds of attacks will be. People want o be involved so get them involved, a motivated population is a resouce like no other!

6. Set up think tanks from India Inc's top leaders to provide feedback to the unit set up in #1. Everybody's gotta be in this together. Promote education and the importance of getting young people involved in politics. Otherwise we'll continue to be governed by senile old farts or criminals who either can't or don't give a sh*t. It is beyond belief that with allt he economic progress India's still ruled by such thugs and all the progess is "desipte" them, not because of them.

Until we have young energetic people who aspire to a career in politics and a population educated enough to bring them to power, nothing much will change.

7. Set up a monument honoring the heroes (both alive and dead) who faced this grim situation with such bravery. Take care of the families of the ones that got injured or died. The freakin' thugs in the govt. can't be counted on to do this, so the private sector should step up to this, they can afford it.

Other ideas?

-------

If this incident does not become a wake-up call, nothing ever will. If India slips into the same old apathy in a couple of weeks like it has every time in the past, there will be no way to preserve the dream of the secular democracy where people of all skin colors, religions and ethinicities co-exist and drive towards progress, not conflict.

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"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win" - Mahatma Gandhi

Hoax faxes, calls, SMSes...

All these false alarms cause the police and the security agencies to take every warning suspiciously or lightly.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/dec/021208-News-Pune-Hoax-fax-message-police-bombs-40-locations.htm

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/dec/021208-Metro-Rakesh-Maria-Mumbai-Police-GT-Hospital-Azad-Maidan.htm

Maybe its a ploy of the sleeper cells to keep the security agencies busy and frustrated...These should be traced and the prankster charged under anti-terrorist laws

Hiren

I think India did its best overall during this crisis but should see how they can survive with the political war triggered with these issues.