so the Indian Government caves in to the initial demands of the terrorists and decides to keep citizens out of Iraq - so what do the terrorists reward the government with? More demands, of course!
Hostage crisis: A new demand nowBlack Flags, the Iraqi group which set a deadline of 2030 IST on Friday for killing the first of the seven truck drivers — three of them Indians — they are holding hostage, have offered to put off the threat for a day. According to sources in New Delhi, Black Flags said on Friday afternoon that it wanted to the Indian embassy in Baghdad to post a clear message on local Arabic television channels that no Indian national would work for Kuwaiti firms that assist American and Coalition forces in Iraq.Y’know, maybe they saw the video of Yashwant Sinha personally escorting Masood Azhar to get the hijacked passengers released in Khandahar and want something similar. Knowing the “tough spines” Indian politicos possess they might even agree to kneel in front of the terrorists and wash their feet to get their hostages released.
Why cannot they stand tough for once and not reward terrorist actions, for Heavens’ sake!
Posted by shanti at July 30, 2004 2:05 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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? TERRORISTS ADMIRE GANDHI from niraj
While the Indian government grovel at the feet of terrorists, we must take note of what the terrorists are saying... [Read More]
Tracked on July 30, 2004 3:56 PM
? A stamp of shame from The Acorn
And I'm running out of synonyms for "grovel" The Indian passport will now carry a stamp of shame. "The Protector of Emigrants, while giving clearance for travel to Kuwait and Jordan, will endorse in the passports of applicants, a stamp that the passpor... [Read More]
Tracked on July 31, 2004 12:25 AM
I do not expect Indian politicians to ever adopt a zero-tolerance policy when dealing with terrorists and hostage situations.
Pity!
Posted by: Sameer at July 30, 2004 7:39 PM
Nice Post. T agree with u. India should Take a tough stand against the terrist. but have u seen one thing . The family member and the media are following the hostage crisis closely. And all the family member want is the safe reurn of the people taken hostage. they dont want to sacrifice they son or husand for the land they were born to keep the nation spirit high. I suppose u understand. It not the goverment doing, it is the people.
I have a lot to but it is time comsuming.
Think and please tell me what u think.
Posted by: Sunil at July 31, 2004 2:23 AM
Hi Shanti,
No offence meant,but
I wonder what your stance would have been if,god forbid,one of your kin was held hostage.
For someone safely ensconced in the US of A it may seem ridiculous that the govt is giving in to the demands of the terrorists.
But it is in reality such a complicated issue that it is impossible to maintain an objective stance towards it.
I have figured out that I would never be able to decide what is the best approach to take in such a situation.
Posted by: ganesh at July 31, 2004 4:26 AM
Sameer, we wish…
Sunil, I agree that there is a lot of family pressure on the politicians to get their people released and the politicians inevitably cave in. But I think a zero-tolerance policy has to start somewhere - it is going to be tough but to save the future, a little bit of the present should be sacrificed.
Ganesh - “safely ensconced in the USA”? Guess what, my son is a US citizen and if he were ever captured like that and held hostage, I know for sure that the US WILL NOT negotiate for his return.
Do I think that is OK? Not as far as my son is concerned - as a mother I will want my son back at all costs, but I will also realize that if somethng is given up for my son, someone else is going to be kidnapped - and it will go on and on since now everybody knows that they will get what they want by kidnapping someone.
Do I want to be responsible for such a trend? NO!
Posted by: Shanti at July 31, 2004 9:33 AM
Umm, but the more you give into demands like this the more you endanger other guest workers there - the Phillipine government basically painted a target on the back of any Philipino working in the Mideast by agreeing to pay a ransom. It is sad in the individual case, but the more you give in to demands, the more people they will abduct. It’s not rocket science.
Posted by: MD at July 31, 2004 4:43 PM
I have a zero tolerance policy towards our politicians!
Posted by: MadMan at August 1, 2004 9:48 AM
Hi
i guess it is not just the politicians but also the people. I don’t know if you saw the scenes after the IA hijack - ordinary people clamouring for the terrorists to be released. screaming on camera, screeching on camera and threatening to give up their life on camera.
the same thing is playing out now. a nation of 1.02 billion people is being held hostage by the family of 3 people who went where they had no business to go. and the pressure being put on the government is phenomenal. the BJP backed AVBP is taking out morchas in that region demanding the release of hostages - bizzare. Yesterday there were rumours of “foreigners” being kidnapped in the region to ensure htat the government compromises with the terrorsits/
I have come to the conclusion that we as a people lack a sense of national pride and national spine.
Posted by: Harini Calamur at August 1, 2004 11:44 AM
Wasn’t it Jaswant Singh who went to Kandahar?
Anyway, it does seem that any Indian gov’t, regardless of party, caves in easily to terrorist demands. Few governments show the sort of short-term thinking in such matters as India. The Indian gov’t does not have to send in commandos, with guns blazing - but have some backbone.
Posted by: KXB at August 2, 2004 9:20 AM
KXB, you may be right - I keep getting Jaswant Singh confused with Yashwant Sinha :blush:
Posted by: Shanti at August 2, 2004 10:48 AM