<p>Car-borne explosions near the Red Fort in Delhi triggered two terms that were used interchangeably, but are not interchangeable – ‘urban terror’ and ‘white collar terror’. The former is a geographical construct (the site of the attack being in an urban cluster) and the latter, a psychographic/demographic attribution (conducted by people of a certain professional type; in this case, doctors). However, while the 2008 Mumbai attack of 26/11 was an act of ‘urban terror’, it wasn’t ‘white collar’.</p>.<p>Arguably, 9/11 in the United States entailed both the urban and white-collar elements – the attack targeted buildings in New York and other major urban centres, and the perpetrators had professional degrees. It wasn’t the doings of the stereotypically uneducated, poverty-stricken, or unexposed youth. On the contrary, it was composed of those who were well-versed and immersed in the so-called progress of the first world, with all the comforts, efficiencies, and progress that it offered. For the first time, it signified that the terrorists didn’t have to come from marginalised or deprived classes, and that modern education and exposure to the outside world were not enough to stop societal radicalisation. This lent a dangerous mutative possibility to the simplistic terror hypothesis that terrorism was the exclusive preserve of the gullible, uneducated, and deprived sections of society. When the so-called white collar professionals started taking to the gun, the portents got infinitely deadlier.</p>.Labour reform needs a consensus code.<p>Long-term fear emanating from the Delhi attack is twofold. First, the situation in the Kashmir Valley is far from resolved – the societal estrangement amongst Kashmiris remains – and second, the strain of terror has now metastasised into the educated classes in urban areas. The suicide bomber on the wheels in Delhi was one Dr Umar Un Nabi from Pulwama, who worked at Al-Falah University. The sheer quantum of explosives cache, i.e., 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals, TATP, detonators, AK-47 rifles, and supposed plans for a Hamas-inspired drone attack, all point to a sophisticated network, planning, and advanced technological expertise. Clearly, it wasn’t a “lone-wolf” attack, but backed by an elaborate cross-border set-up.</p>.<p>This is a serious wake-up call from the rhetoric of “normalcy has returned to the Kashmir Valley”. Still, there are takers for Pakistan’s nefarious agenda as the local disaffection with Delhi continues. Attempts to address the societal polarisation between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country have not been adequate. While the strong and effective security apparatus in the Kashmir Valley has contained incidents of stone-pelting, protests, or even public postulating of hate speeches, the subliminal emotions remain unhealed and, perhaps, unspoken.</p>.<p>Clearly, until concerted political outreach, inclusion and the eventual healing provided by the likes of the Punjab Peace Accord or the Mizo Peace Accord, which eventually triumphed over the local sense of alienation and discrimination, the Valley will remain susceptible to cross-border machinations. Relying solely on militaristic boots-on-ground has limited utility, as history is instructive (from India, Ireland to Israel) that unless the hearts and minds are won over, insurgency never ends.</p>.<p><strong>The elusive reconciliation</strong></p>.<p>The regression to urban and white collar terrorism is fraught with risks of attacks on symbolically high-visibility targets (the Delhi attackers were supposedly working on more daring operations). A potential terror strike in Delhi or Mumbai has huge psychological ramifications for the nation as it wounds national stability and disrupts critical infrastructure like metros, airports, and power grids. The much-sought-after internationalisation of the insurgent cause is also easily achieved with the resultant public shock, economic loss, and mass casualties.</p>.<p>Credible theories of a panic-induced/premature detonation or even an accidental blast due to a faulty contraption point to a more sinister plan and objectives. Nonetheless, as reports around an expansive terror network entailing white collar professionals and their infrastructure emerge, concerns over the failure of intelligence agencies have resurfaced. It is a matter of grave concern that a mass-scale operation with such interconnections was on course in the New Delhi Capital Region (NDCR).</p>.<p>The muscular posturing about the “successful end of terrorism in Kashmir” has been publicly postured for far too long. This narrative loses steam in the face of attacks in Pulwama and Delhi. The experienced Pakistan-hand and the serving National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, had once presciently observed, “Terrorism thrives where there is alienation, radicalisation, and the absence of effective governance. You have to win the hearts and minds of the people to defeat it.”</p>.<p>This is not to say that one needs to lower security imperatives in the Kashmir Valley, but instead to add the vital components of political-administrative outreach and accommodations. The dangerous regression to white collar terrorism is not a sign of security failure in the Kashmir Valley, but of the failure to co-opt our own (however misguided by forces across the Line of Control) by insisting that only the security forces can singularly resolve the insurgent sentiment. While the forces have heroically taken up the gauntlet, the political class (both national and regional) has failed to show the required spine, humility, and grace in accepting its failures, allowing this horrific mutation to white collar terrorism.</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a former Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry)</em></p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
<p>Car-borne explosions near the Red Fort in Delhi triggered two terms that were used interchangeably, but are not interchangeable – ‘urban terror’ and ‘white collar terror’. The former is a geographical construct (the site of the attack being in an urban cluster) and the latter, a psychographic/demographic attribution (conducted by people of a certain professional type; in this case, doctors). However, while the 2008 Mumbai attack of 26/11 was an act of ‘urban terror’, it wasn’t ‘white collar’.</p>.<p>Arguably, 9/11 in the United States entailed both the urban and white-collar elements – the attack targeted buildings in New York and other major urban centres, and the perpetrators had professional degrees. It wasn’t the doings of the stereotypically uneducated, poverty-stricken, or unexposed youth. On the contrary, it was composed of those who were well-versed and immersed in the so-called progress of the first world, with all the comforts, efficiencies, and progress that it offered. For the first time, it signified that the terrorists didn’t have to come from marginalised or deprived classes, and that modern education and exposure to the outside world were not enough to stop societal radicalisation. This lent a dangerous mutative possibility to the simplistic terror hypothesis that terrorism was the exclusive preserve of the gullible, uneducated, and deprived sections of society. When the so-called white collar professionals started taking to the gun, the portents got infinitely deadlier.</p>.Labour reform needs a consensus code.<p>Long-term fear emanating from the Delhi attack is twofold. First, the situation in the Kashmir Valley is far from resolved – the societal estrangement amongst Kashmiris remains – and second, the strain of terror has now metastasised into the educated classes in urban areas. The suicide bomber on the wheels in Delhi was one Dr Umar Un Nabi from Pulwama, who worked at Al-Falah University. The sheer quantum of explosives cache, i.e., 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals, TATP, detonators, AK-47 rifles, and supposed plans for a Hamas-inspired drone attack, all point to a sophisticated network, planning, and advanced technological expertise. Clearly, it wasn’t a “lone-wolf” attack, but backed by an elaborate cross-border set-up.</p>.<p>This is a serious wake-up call from the rhetoric of “normalcy has returned to the Kashmir Valley”. Still, there are takers for Pakistan’s nefarious agenda as the local disaffection with Delhi continues. Attempts to address the societal polarisation between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country have not been adequate. While the strong and effective security apparatus in the Kashmir Valley has contained incidents of stone-pelting, protests, or even public postulating of hate speeches, the subliminal emotions remain unhealed and, perhaps, unspoken.</p>.<p>Clearly, until concerted political outreach, inclusion and the eventual healing provided by the likes of the Punjab Peace Accord or the Mizo Peace Accord, which eventually triumphed over the local sense of alienation and discrimination, the Valley will remain susceptible to cross-border machinations. Relying solely on militaristic boots-on-ground has limited utility, as history is instructive (from India, Ireland to Israel) that unless the hearts and minds are won over, insurgency never ends.</p>.<p><strong>The elusive reconciliation</strong></p>.<p>The regression to urban and white collar terrorism is fraught with risks of attacks on symbolically high-visibility targets (the Delhi attackers were supposedly working on more daring operations). A potential terror strike in Delhi or Mumbai has huge psychological ramifications for the nation as it wounds national stability and disrupts critical infrastructure like metros, airports, and power grids. The much-sought-after internationalisation of the insurgent cause is also easily achieved with the resultant public shock, economic loss, and mass casualties.</p>.<p>Credible theories of a panic-induced/premature detonation or even an accidental blast due to a faulty contraption point to a more sinister plan and objectives. Nonetheless, as reports around an expansive terror network entailing white collar professionals and their infrastructure emerge, concerns over the failure of intelligence agencies have resurfaced. It is a matter of grave concern that a mass-scale operation with such interconnections was on course in the New Delhi Capital Region (NDCR).</p>.<p>The muscular posturing about the “successful end of terrorism in Kashmir” has been publicly postured for far too long. This narrative loses steam in the face of attacks in Pulwama and Delhi. The experienced Pakistan-hand and the serving National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, had once presciently observed, “Terrorism thrives where there is alienation, radicalisation, and the absence of effective governance. You have to win the hearts and minds of the people to defeat it.”</p>.<p>This is not to say that one needs to lower security imperatives in the Kashmir Valley, but instead to add the vital components of political-administrative outreach and accommodations. The dangerous regression to white collar terrorism is not a sign of security failure in the Kashmir Valley, but of the failure to co-opt our own (however misguided by forces across the Line of Control) by insisting that only the security forces can singularly resolve the insurgent sentiment. While the forces have heroically taken up the gauntlet, the political class (both national and regional) has failed to show the required spine, humility, and grace in accepting its failures, allowing this horrific mutation to white collar terrorism.</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a former Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry)</em></p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
