Syllabus: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Context
- India is facing a period described as its moment of reckoning in global affairs.
- Despite strong diplomatic skills, India increasingly appears as an outlier in international politics.
India’s Growing Global Isolation
- India is absent from major peace initiatives in West Asia and Europe.
- It appears uninvolved in emerging Indo-Pacific dynamics.
- South Asia is in turmoil, reducing India’s dependable partners.
- Countries such as Afghanistan, Nepal, Maldives, and Myanmar show instability affecting India’s neighbourhood.
- Daily new threats, including cyber threats, compound the situation.
Hostility on India’s Western and Eastern Flanks
- India now faces two hostile neighbours: Pakistan in the west and Bangladesh in the east.
- In Pakistan, the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill strengthens military control and disrupts civil–military balance.
- A new provision creates a Chief of Defence Forces, elevating Field Marshal Asim Munir as military supremo.
- Munir now has sole control over nuclear assets and full authority against perceived enemies, including India.
- Military dictatorships historically remain hostile to democratic India, increasing miscalculation risks.
- Bangladesh’s interim government appears unfriendly, showing willingness to improve ties with Pakistan.
- A Pakistan Navy ship’s visit to Bangladesh after decades indicates renewed military presence in the Bay of Bengal.
Return of Urban Terrorism
- India faces a new phase of urban terror, different from 2008 Mumbai attacks.
- The current module spans Srinagar–Faridabad–Delhi, involving medical practitioners linked to Al-Falah University.
- The group draws motivation from the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, unlike earlier lumpen-driven attacks.
- Terror finds supporters among the educated elite, marking a qualitative shift.
- The module accumulated 3,000 kg explosives and executed an explosion near Red Fort, raising security concerns.
- It operated through encrypted channels and raised funds via academic networks posing as charitable entities.
- Investigations show links with Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye.
- The incident exposes a local radicalisation trend, contradicting claims that locals were not joining terrorism.
Need for Vigilance
- India must prevent religious fascism from growing amid external instability.
- Eternal vigilance is essential to avoid further deterioration of national security.