Flunking the Intelligence Test

All this talk about "failure of government" is pure crap. The Indian government didn't do this, a pack of whackjobs did. To demand that the government always be on a hair-trigger with respect to terrorism demands that you live with a constant fortress mentality, and that means the terrorists have won.

The Indian government isn't reponsible for this attack, any more than Britain was responsible for the subway attack, Spain for the train station attack, or America for the WTC attack. In all of the above cases, groups of criminals were responsible. To say otherwise is to legitimize terrorism.

It is imperative to ascertain the seriousness of Pakistan's much hyped offer to India to co-operate fully in eliminating the scourge of terrorism. There is a quick way to determine this. Let Pakistan extradite Dawood Ibrahim the mafia don behind the 1993 Bomb blasts in Mumbai and most likely the person who provided logistical support for the latest attack on Mumbai. One must remember that Dawood is a known Smuggler who used to operate out of Mumbai and is very familiar with the sea routes in and out of Mumbai and the Konkan Coast. Pakistan's denial in the past that Dawood does not live in Pakistan inspite of his conspicious presence in Karachi is incredible.

I absolutely agree with the author that the Indian govenment has failed misrably to stem the tide of acts of terror. And there is an URGENT need to overhaul its security apparatus. Indians need to distract themselves from blaming poor Pakistan all the time and instead press their government and other equally incompetent state run agencies for some much needed reform.

Please dont talk on any issue other than the recent terrorist activity in Mumbai. The world in one voice should comdemn the terrorist for their heinous act. What was the fault of the innocent people in the Taj, Oberoi Trident and in the vicinity? Who were the people responsible for this gusty killings? The world should come together and investigate about their identity, motive, who were supporting them, etc? From the media it came out that the Anti Terror Sqad Chief of Moharashtra had successfully completed investigation of couple of high profile terror incidents and brought to book some high profile fundamentalist Hindu bigots and also serving members from the Indian defence force. The case is under trial. Unfortunately the Anti Terror Squad Chief was one of the victim in the recent tragic Mumbai killing. The world powers should work closely with the Indian Government to help complete the investigation and bring the heinous people to justice to make the world peaceful.

India Government should STOP supporting and traiining secretly to those Nationalist Terrorist againt the Will of Freedom people and democracy ,by Stopping to incites fighting for Kashmir nationalist separatist up-north againt its neighbour Pakistan and and south Tamil Tiger againt Sri Lanka .Its understandable, why India frustation of both situations, the Pakistan Independence in 1947 and "Ceylon" Sri Lanka independence that , was once belongs to India territory but to resort through Terrorist Resort ideology is not an answer to the World stability.

Americans as just as lethargic as Indikan officials when it comes to Iran and nuclear bomb manufacturing. So are Europeans, who have forgotten what happened in Munich when Chamberlain did not pay attention to Hitler's threats. Iran builds its bombs and the West does nothing. When a major city is destroyed, newspeople will write articles like this one, saying we were lethargic...

I was reading all the interesting comments to this good article. As a citizen of India I wish to provide a different perspective. The current ruling Congress party is so focussed on the Muslim votes that they are not even prepared to use the term "Islamic terrorists" in fear of offending SOME Muslims. So the most easy way out is to blame it on the government across the border. Many Muslims in India are Moderate and there is no direct or inderect law or otherwise that prohibits them. Examples are our former President (Abdul Kalam) who was India's Missile architect and the defence point person of then pro-hindu party, the BJP. It was also the BJP who nominated him to be the President. Their basic problems lies in their families themselves. I have lot of Muslim friends and some of what I found is the fact that most girls in the family are not allowed to pursue higher education. I know some in the family who got their girls married at their age of 16. In other words lots of them remain withdrawn from mainstream. Yes there are incidents of anti-Muslim rhetoric which needs to be addressed but acts like the Mumbai tragedy do not help. A big mistake on some of the Hindu's part was the destruction of the insignificant (not actively visited) 17th century mosque. Hindu's and Mulim's in India will have to remember how they jointly fought and won the first war of Indian independence in 1857 against the British, brief though it may be. Muslims do follow their religious leaders and it will help if all their Imams in India issue a joint fatwa against terrorism and anybody who sympathises with it.

"That's the standard pattern in India: an inept and callous political leadership and a cocooned and corrupt bureaucracy take care of their own interests while ignoring the public's welfare." I wish that American media sources were as quick to condemn our own bureaucracy. For example, I have yet to read the note which Condoleeza Rice tendered to George Bush which anticipated 911 attacks. Not one person was held accountable. No one even asked Ms. Rice, "why wasn't anything done?".

This is very disturbing article. Apparently, India failed to anticipate. The Security cannot be just re-active. It has to be alert, pro-active, and simulate "what ifs". The cops hired by nepotism from low class are more interested in making money more than making good of their jobs by executing their duties.