And yet another loss at the hands of what may perhaps be the most imminent threat to the global amity, what we refer to as 'terrorism', but what a fierceful minority refers to as 'jihad'. Yesterday, yet again this minority proved to the whole world that no matter what the political demagogues across the globe are conferencing about, these cold-hearted warm blooded animals will soon be writing laws and 'constitutions' for the fastest growing religion in the world, which already has a fifth of the population in its arms. Never before in Pakistan sports history has such a despicable act taken place like yesterday. Shocking! but though not surprising. So I think about the attack on Lankan sportsmen. And then I think about the Mumbai attacks. Hostages held at gunpoint in Taj and Oberoi Trident, later shot to death. Then somehow, no clue how, the first thought that strikes me is the ominous September of 1972, Munich.
However absurd it might appear to most of the readers, I still could'nt overlook the striking similarities between these two recent events combined and the Munich masaccre. Perhaps my thoughts are reinforced by the biggest dissimilarity, ironically, which I will mention below.
11 Israelis were slaughtered while the Olympic games were still on on the other side of the village housing the ill-fated players. 7 shot to death. 4 shot and incinerated in a helicopter blown up by a hand granade. Among those murdered was Moshe Weinberg, the wrestling coach. The Black September group put forward a few demands. When the German officials tried to negotiate with them, in a hope to mellow down their flamboyant wishes, the hostage-takers threw the deadbody of Weinberg out of the door, to demonstrate their peremptoriness. Israel's response was immediate and absolute: there will be no negotiation.
Not even a week had passed, on 9th September, Israeli planes bombed Palestinian targets in Libya and Lebanon. But that was just the beginning. It took Israel nearly 20 years to seek their vengeance, when in 1992, the Head of Intelligence of PLO was brutally assassinated in Paris. And even today Israel has maintained its policies, rigid though highly criticized, but lets not forget, the only Jewish nation surrounded by the most chaotic Arabic states has made its statement to the world: quid pro quo.
But I wonder will our prime minister and defence minister ever orchestrate a secret strategy to eliminate those 10 gunmen who defied all laws in Mumbai and now Lahore like Golda Meir, the then Prime Minister of Isreal did?. Is our government ready to face criticisms for secretly tracking down and killing those allegedly responsible for these attacks like Israel has been facing for past decades? Is our government capable enough to launch an operation similar to Israel's immediate response 'Operation Wrath of God' and 'Operation Spring of Youth'? However desperately we might want an affirmative response, it will nevertheless end in a sarkari 'NO'. Instead, our officials are adept in holding press conferences and blabbing out those cliched statements 'We will bring them to justice'. Inspite of having complete profiles of those accused, we hand over the dossier to the whole world and wait for their responses. Its like when a kid is slapped by a bully, he cries, complains to his mommy and spends time searching for reasons and alibis to consolidate the allegation. As he is not equipped enough to meet the bully with equal force, he waits and waits with no self respect, untill finally one moment, he is given a candy and he forgets the whole story. The 'candy' here being anything like Slumdog Millionaire's Oscar streak, after which the media and the parties forget the grave tasks ahead of us and then India again becomes a 'great nation'.
Even today, Israel is in bad books of the human right activists and the UNO. They still have pending cases against them in the so called 'International court'. But they have always proved that nothing is strong enough to destabalize their national intergrity and no force however ferocious should dare to spill their children's blood, or it will be met with heavy and brutal force. I wondered if our reputed policy makers will ever learn something from what Bill Gates refered to as the world's high tech superpower, Israel. But then all the wrath and hope for a reprisal was vanquished when I realised the very essence of our doctrine. I just remembered that we offer our right cheek in return to a slap on left.
Finally, its best to simply quote General Aharon Yariv, the general overseer of the secret operation of Israel, who said that they had no other option but to exact justice.
"We had no choice. We had to make them stop, and there was no other way… we are not very proud about it. But it was question of sheer necessity. We went back to the old biblical rule of an eye for an eye… I approach these problems not from a moral point of view, but, hard as it may sound, from a cost-benefit point of view. If I’m very hard-headed, I can say, what is the political benefit in killing this person? Will it bring us nearer to peace? Will it bring us nearer to an understanding with the Palestinians or not? In most cases I don’t think it will. But in the case of Black September we had no other choice and it worked. Is it morally acceptable? One can debate that question. Is it politically vital? It was."
I wonder how many options we have that we are just 'talking' about it.
