Nothing better demonstrates just how ill equipped is India to counter terror than the US state department report that ranks the country among world's most terror hit nations.

It needs no reiteration that India has been the target of some of the most dreadful terrorist strikes. Repeated attacks in quick succession underline the omnious fact that India is fast emerging as a happy hunting ground for Islamic and other extremists targeting all parts of the country. What is equally omnious is that the malaise has struck deeper roots due to the lukewarm attitude of the government towards the cause of fighting terrorism.Indeed, such concerns have found resonance in the revelations of the new state department report that puts India at the top of the list of countries worst afflicted by the scourge of terrorism. The report besides exposing chinks in its security armours has driven home the point that the country is not well prepared to combat exigencies of countering terror.

The report says that more than 23,00 people were killed by the terrorists in India last Year with militant attacks in J&K and Northeast, strikes by Naxalites and Maoists as well as activities of ULFA and other terror groups. The report finds that more civilians are being targeted worldwide and terrorism is clearly a factor. The collated estimation that over 22000 people lost their lives due to terror strikes around the world in 2007, roughly 8 per cent more than that of the previous year demonstrates this point. According to the report, Iraq tops the list accounting for 43 per cent of terrorists attacks and 60 per cent terrorism related deaths worldwide.

What makes the situation alarming is that terrorist organisations are encouraging the young and educated lot to carry on their activities with the latest arrest of highly educated activists of the banned Students Movement of India, the new dimension of terrorism in India has begun to emerge. In fact, recruitment to various terrorist groups has seen a symbolic increase over the past few years. The radical Islamists have created a domestic infrastruc- ture to carry forward their diabolic campaign. Besides, the approach of the government to frustrate the designs of the terrorist masterminds has always bordered on complacency. It is most unfortunate that those at the helm of affairs have believed in giving free rein to these terror groups thus making their task relatively easy. This has provided a window of opportunity to Islamist Jehadis to set up bases in the southern states with the explicit aim of expanding the theatre of violence.

The latest US report gives a clear picture of the new phase of terrorism that should set the alarm bells ringing. Infact, the causality figures due to terrorism do not sit well with the country's galloping economic growth. This means that the government has miserably failed to counter terrorism thanks to its soft policies. In view of these developments a new threat is looming large that sparks fears of a major escalation in terrorist activities in the coming months. Without doubt, we are witnessing a situation that is both grim and alarming.

The latest report concludes that while terrorist activities along the line of control in J&K are on the decline, the most serious challenges are presented by Pakistan based militant outfits like LeT and other terrorist groups in the valley. "Pak based LeT and other Kashmir focused groups continued regional attack planning. In 2007, Kashmir focused groups continued to support attacks in Afghanistan, and operatives trained by the groups continued to feature in Al-Qaeda trans-national attack planning", it says. It noted that there was no doubt that terror attacks on the SamJhauta Express, the Mecca Masjid blasts and other blasts in Hyderabad, Ludhiana, Luck- now and Varanasi were not only aimed at striking terror but also cause communal polarisation. “These attacks which killed and injured both Muslims and Hindus, were probably conducted by extremists hoping to incite anger between Hindu and Muslim communities”, the report reads.

The US annual report has also rapped India for its slothful law enforcement and legal systems calling them outdated and overburdened. "The Indian government's counter terrorism efforts remained hampered by outdated and overburdened law enforcement and legal systems " the report says. It has now become evident that the UPA government's timid approach towards terrorists is increasingly becoming an obstacle to fight terror in our backyard. By juxtaposing minority sentiments with the diabolic agenda of Jehadis, the government is putting the national security in a grave danger. The simple truism that votebank politics should not be linked to national security is lost on the Congress which thinks nothing of furthering its own interests while conceding free ground to religions fanatics hell bent upon destabilising India.

There are no two ways about the fact that the nation is facing a grave threat from terrorists, a certainty that has been corroborated by the US State department report also. It can’t be said with confidence whether any state is free from the menace of terrorism. The perpetrators of these attacks which are known to have links to groups based in Pakistan and Bangladesh, particularly LeT, JeM, HUJI and others have targeted everything from trains to temples. Even courts and markets have also not been spared these attacks. But the government’s response to terror has merely bordered on shedding tears on the plight of terrorists besides rewarding the families of killers in a bid to further the political interests of the Congress led UPA.

While it would make better sense to have a strong focus and clarity of purpose to fight terrorism, the Centre has not taken a single step to take some stringent anti-terror measures by way of a crackdown. Instead, it saw a lot of sense in abolishing POTA, citing imaginary grievances of the Muslim community as an absurd reason for its revocation. What is more laughable is the PMs comment that Pakistan like India is a “victim” of terrorism and the subsequent establishment of a “joint terror mechanism” with the neighbouring country. No less amusing is his decision to provide financial assistance to the dependants of terrorists killed in encounters with the security forces.

The report also took note of the shoddy investigation system and an even weaker system of prosecution, citing these as other obstacles to India’s counter terrorism efforts. Moreover, India falls woefully short in the department of intelligence gathering. This has the effect of hampering the follow-up procedures by prosecution department. Moreover, weak follow up by the legal department generally helps the ultras get away without a sentence.

"The Indian court system was slow laborious and prone to corruption, terrorism trials can take years to complete," the report adds. For once, the United States seems to be making right noises when it comes to the working of Indian legal system, keeping in view the fact that in India the conviction rate in criminal cases is a mere 7 percent while in the western countries it is around 98 percent. On the other hand conviction rate in terrorism cases is only 2 per cent.

Also, what comes under scanner is India's police forces which according to the US Department were poorly staffed, lacked training and were ill equipped to combat terrorism effectively. The report puts a question mark over India's security apparatus as well as its preparedness to meet the challenges of modern day terrorism. Does the country have an effective mechanism that can act as a deterrent to ward off the heinous attacks? The answer is an unequivocal no. Precious little is being done by both the central and state intelligence agencies to counter the threat of terrorism. On top of that, there is little coordination between the two when it comes to sharing information. While intelligence set up needs to be shorn up, the fact that the country that continues to reel under repeated terror strikes doesn't have a strong anti-terror law in place cannot be overlooked. Ironically, anti-terror laws in India have been used and abused as political tools by leaders who have stooped low to further their own political interests. The very fact that the nation is yet to know the truth about many of the major bomb blasts that occurred in Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Malegoan, Ludhiana, Hyderabad and other places is a sad commentary on our inefficient intelligence gathering network. It is invariably, these failings that have worked to the advantage of terrorists.

With every terror attack, the notion that India has become a soft target for terror groups is gaining currency. In comparison we don't have an effective mechanism or more importantly a political will to thwart the scourge. Naxalism has been threatening the internal security in the country with more than ten states in its grip. Every year, hundreds fall victims to Maoists. The nation needs to wake up to the looming threat taking steps to counter bluff terrorist's insidious designs.

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