Why Bhatkali idea could flop anyway in Surat

Surat, 30 December 2013

During his interrogation, terrorist Yasin Bhatkal has reportedly revealed that he wanted to do nuclear blast in Gujarat’s second largest city Surat. He had talked to Riyaz Bhatkal in Pakistan over a phone call. Riyaz told Yasin that Surat has Muslim population too. What about that? Yasin replied that Muslims will be asked through mosques to leave Surat well ahead of the blast. Such details are published in the Times of India today quoting sources in intelligence agency.

World has always been concerned about nuclear capacity of Pakistan. Suppose if terrorists capture power in Pakistan tomorrow, they can misuse nuclear capacity. India’s nuclear bomb is good threat to balance the danger.

Talking about Yasin Bhatkal. There’s no chance that Bhatkal like terrorist can manage nuclear bomb operation. This can be a fancy idea of Yasin’s brain, but Pakisan government can’t afford to let something like this happen, and such operation can’t Skipp America’s vigil.Then to locate nuclear bomb, connection of its parts and bringing it to India and using it demand various skills. It’s not like Mumbai attack.

But the most difficult part is execution of Yasin’s bizarre idea to ask Muslims through mosques to leave Surat well in advance before the blast so that they can be safe! As per year 2001 census, Surat has 4,47,951 Muslims. Yasin Bhatkal thought they are all anti-nationals, anti-human and Talibanis? Any wise Muslim would visit police or a political leader to inform about any such activity. After all most of them are businessman. Bloody who would announce the message in mosques and who would leave the city? And where one would go? For how long? And how one would return to his property and house? Which Muslim would not think about what could happen in reaction?

Bhatkal just misjudged the 4.5 lakh Muslims of Surat. Yes role of local Muslims was found in the past in Surat bomb blasts, and India has Bhatkals, but then India has Kalams too. Take a sample of 4.5 lakh Surti, how many of them would be like Bhatkals and how many like Kalams?

India is a unique country. If Islamic nation Pakistan wage war against India, Indian Muslim army jawan would also be killed. Suppose tomorrow terrorists come with fighter plane to attack Ahmedabad and drop a bomb, there’s no guarantee that only Hindus will be at receiving end, and not Muslims.

In year 2008, Ahmedabad witnessed serial blasts. None of them happened in Muslim locality. This year, a group of Islamic terrorists attacked a mall in Nairobi. They allowed Muslims to go, but killed others. Some who falsely identified themselves as Muslims to save life were asked to speak Kalma and Aayats. Only saying ‘I am Muslim’ was not enough, proving it was also necessary.

But Surat is not a mall in Nairobi. You get selection while killing someone through your gun or a small bomb, but nuclear rays are not selective. Nuclear bomb can’t kill selective people. And the idea of asking 4.5 lakh Muslims to leave Surat and then nuke the city seems like gossip among two Bhatkals, of course an evil gossip.

At the same time it has to be noted that whatever happens in Surat, it happens on large scale. Whether you take plague or flood or recovery of 21 live bombs in two days(one of them was hanging on tree, the other was kept behind a hoarding on over-bridge, the other one was recovered from a meter box), or the great Surat fire(decades back entire Surat was destroyed in massive fire), or Shivaji’s plunder which was gigantic. At present Surat is witnessing gigantic progress and prosperity. Nuclear blast may look impossible, but Mumbai or Nairobi style attacks are not impossible, and Surat could be a favorite destination for that for evil elements like Bhatkals. So keep enjoying, but do continue to be cautious.

In year 2008 a day after 18 live bombs were recovered from various parts of Surat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi paid visit to this city. During Modi’s visit three more bombs were recovered. Bombs failed to blast due to chip failure. What Modi told media persons at that time is relevant even today, and shall continue to be relevant in future too. Modi said: For last one year they choose centers of economic prosperity across India as their targets. They want to seriously cripple the country’s economy and economic centers. Acts of terrors in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad were part of this series. Terrorism is a kind of Proxy war and rules that are applied at the time of war should be applied in this proxy war too. If we don’t create a warlike atmosphere against terrorism terrorists will be at benefit. At the time of war, nation speaks in one voice, at the time of war media plays a major role for moral boosting of the people. In this proxy war also, government, people, media, opinion makers, political parties should create an atmosphere to get victory. I congratulate the people of Surat for awareness/vigilance they have shown. Surat has really shown that when people and government work in co-operation, it produces a Great strength to counter a major calamity.

It has to be noted that after Ahmedabad and Surat blasts, the Gujarat Police had taken prompt action and literally broken spinal cord of a terror organization responsible for the attacks.