Indian military finally shows its might

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Indian Navy launched a commando attack against pirates in the Gulf of Aden last Tuesday and rescued the merchant vessel MV Jag Arnev from the pirates. Indian Naval Ship INS Tabar armed with helicopters foiled the attack and saved the tanker from being hijacked. This was symbolic as the fifth largest Navy in the world had finally shown its might.

India is a military might by the sheer numbers of our armed forces considering we have the third largest Army, fourth largest Air Force, fifth largest Navy and second largest Paramilitary Force in the world. In spite of all this we hardly have flexed our muscle in international affairs barring those under the United Nations. Diplomatically it might have put India as a highly respected state in world affair but militarily our neighbours have taken undue advantage of this.

Be it the incident in Bangladesh's intruding Indian village of Pyrdiwah in Meghalaya in 2001 or the Indian army not crossing the LOC during the Kargil war. Indian people have always felt their security forces have their hands tied down. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan are giving shelter to Indian terrorist outfits. These countries for long have taken us for granted and feel India will never use its military might against them.

This attitude of ours has cost us dearly as far as the internal security is concerned. Most of the failed democracies around us have to be dealt with firm resolve and if required military power. The military leaders who actually control these countries have no respect for democracy or peace talks. As these people are not elected leaders of their country they have little or no accountability towards their people and thus trying to negotiate with them is at times absurd.

The Indian security forces have for too long been tied down by the political establishment which has championed the cause of peace around the world. This has resulted in India having the highest number of terror attach casualties after Iraq and Afghanistan. True we should not become a military junta but we cannot for ever ignore the terror threats to our country in the name of peace and diplomacy.

We do not need to become like the United States and fight war on foreign soils thousands of miles from home but identify our threats around us and neutralise them. It is high time we stand up and try to flex our muscles not for dominating our neighbours but to ensure a terror free India. Otherwise its no point acquiring an aircraft carrier, hundreds of fighter planes and thousands of battle tanks when every Indian citizen faces threat in his everyday life.