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Feb 10, 2025
Nandini Bahri-Dhanda

Collaborators on the Dunki Route

The recent outrage over the deportation of handcuffed and shackled Indians who had illegally entered the U.S. made many of us pause and wonder. Beyond the reflexive desire to criticise the Prime Minister at any cost, or the deep-seated self-hate wrapped in the taunt of Vishwa Guru, why is it that certain Indians, well-educated, belonging to a particular social stratum, are always at the forefront of defending rioters, thugs, terrorists, corrupt politicians, rabidly communal members of the minority community and illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants? Are these the causes that grant them their sense of moral superiority? Because when it comes to leaders with new thoughts and vision, hardworking, enterprising, Indian entrepreneurs, successful industrialists or NRIs, or even everyday Indians, whether a proud member of the minority community or a hardworking sabziwala or pakodawala who may not fit into their Idea of India but lives the essence of India daily - these same people are filled with disdain. It’s almost as if the sight of Indians achieving success without their approval threatens their fragile sense of identity, stoking a deep-rooted envy and bitterness. And yet, suddenly, they are aghast and outraged that our own countrymen could be treated so inhumanely by a foreign nation. "They are not criminals!" they declare. "They were just looking for a better life and crossed the U.S. border without going through the immigration process. So, what if they snuck under a few barbed wires or took the Dunki Route?" The rationale being - They simply aspired to be truck and cab drivers, helpers at takeaways, cargo loaders... the little people driven out by the systems we created but they knew their place. Yes, some were clearly not destitute and had paid a fortune to touts. With so much money at stake, given half a chance at asylum they would have spun tales of persecution, fabricated threats to their lives and paid the victim. But you know what, they are way better than those successful Indian-Americans in their big houses, with their SUVs and swimming pools who built a life for themselves in a new country and still hold a place for the Motherland in their hearts...! I was once told: We sympathise with the underdog. We empathise with the one who got a raw deal. We romanticise struggle - look at Bollywood films till the 80’s... Perhaps. But my take is far more cynical. For as long as I can remember, one thing has stood out - our unique societal attitude towards wealth, success and the means of achieving them. We, a billion people, were conditioned to expect little because we had been taught to trust no one and to believe in nothing. We lived in a perpetual state of gratitude for the barest necessities: a roof over our heads, running water, a few hours of electricity, basic education, a place on a crowded train, and if we were lucky, a hospital bed when we needed one. We were a nation bound to little men in big positions. Our lives, from birth to death, lay in the hands of these so-called civil servants, a term so ironic it might as well be satire. They, armed with petty power, determined our fates, servile to the authorities above them while lording over the people below. Graft was not an aberration; it was a lubricant, smoothing the gears of everyday survival. It became the ultimate family aspiration to secure at least one government job - because that job came with the power to inflict on others the same indignities that had once been suffered. Conformity was expected. Bending was survival. Seekh Jayega was a phrase that could just as well have been official policy - one designed to systematically break the spirit of its citizens. And yet, those who succeeded did so in spite of the system, not because of it. We were a people who stood in endless queues for milk, hoarded sugar and kerosene because we never knew when it would be available again. We waited years, sometimes decades for the privilege of owning a car or scooter. Securing an LPG connection or a telephone line often required a well-placed relative. We didn’t blink when we borrowed an electric connection from a neighbour’s meter, adjusted our bill, or convinced a linesman to sneak our STD calls onto someone else’s tab. Expanding a balcony or adding a room was just a matter of the right chai-pani for the local municipality. These small, everyday compromises didn’t prick our conscience. Each of us, in our own way, took the Dunki Route, became complicit in the cynical normalisation of corruption. It was a silent agreement. Those in power could rob as long as they allowed us our small thefts. And so, we made our peace with it. In this wasteland of hopelessness, in this vacuum of ambition, where mere survival took precedence over aspiration, there existed another world - a rarified bubble occupied by a privileged few, untouched by these realities. That their outrage erupts now is what surprises us. Perhaps it is because the rules changed on the night of November 8, 2016. Demonetization. One can debate endlessly whether it helped or hurt the economy, whether it impacted the poor, the wealthy, or both. But one thing is undeniable - it planted a seed in the collective Indian consciousness: that dishonesty had consequences. That there was, finally, a distinction between Bahut Paisa Banaya and Bahut Paisa Kamaya. And yet, the familiar rentiers scoff, "Are you so naïve as to believe there is no black money today?" Of course not. But I am astute enough to recognise the change. In the way business is conducted, in how digital payments and online transactions have seamlessly woven themselves into our daily life. Compliance, once an afterthought, is now a necessity. Accountability, once easily evaded, is now a looming presence. The old guard clings to cynicism because it serves them well. But the reality is undeniable - transparency is no longer an exception; it is becoming the norm. And that, in itself, is a revolution. So, their Dunki Route - that shortcut, once admired or excused - no longer commands sympathy or admiration. And then comes the weaponisation of language. Three Sanskrit phrases are carefully and cunningly wielded by those who otherwise have no use for the language. Their purpose is singular: to clutch at the remnants of an old order crumbling before their eyes. A few pet phrases have caught the fancy of our rentier class, the acolytes of the Ancient Régime. Not to be left behind, avowed leftist intellectuals, with their cultivated scruffiness, wield these same phrases as ideological weapons. These are the same individuals who, when confronted with the issue of illegal and violence-prone Rohingyas or the deportation of those unable to prove their citizenship, conveniently forget their atheism on odd days and turn Islamist apologists on even days. Their animosity toward Sanskrit is well known, yet they twist their tongues around Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam "The World is One Family" with remarkable dexterity. These carefully curated phrases plucked from a language they would rather see consigned to oblivion, are repurposed as rhetorical darts against those who cherish it with true understanding. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and their Sanskrit proficiency extends only as far as it serves their agenda. Were one to probe deeper and ask them about: "Svastiprajābhyaḥ paripālayantāṃ nyāyena mārgeṇa mahīṃ mahīśāḥ।" (May the well-being of all people be protected by powerful and mighty leaders with law and justice.) Uh- Oh! Now this bit is inconvenient. Another favourite in their arsenal is Atithi Devo Bhava "The Guest is God." With the composure of an ascetic freshly returned from the Himalayas, they painstakingly explain this concept to overawed foreigners, particularly when contracts and deals are at stake. The phrase is also brandished to justify hare-brained open-border policies: "Come one, come all!" - as a means to offset the plebeians at home. After all, as Anatole France famously put it, "The comfort of the rich depends upon the abundance of the poor." Ah! Now we understand the deep anguish.

Feb 08, 2025
Ramaharitha Pusarla

Hamas Presence in POK Exposes Pakistan’s Terrorism Agenda

In January 2023, EAM Jaishankar, in an interview with Austrian media ORF, called Pakistan an “epicentre of terrorism”. When asked about such a “not very diplomatic” term, Jaishankar replied, “Because you are a diplomat, it doesn’t mean you’re untruthful. I could use much harsher words than epicentre, believe me, considering what has been happening to us, I think epicentre is a very diplomatic word”. New India under the leadership of PM Modi has been equivocal in calling out the state sponsor of terrorism for what it is. The unabated cross-border terror attacks seeped in “bleed India with thousand cuts” or Ghazwa-e-Hind modus operandi, the defining statecraft of Pakistan is a constant reminder of Pakistan’s international repute as a global terror factory. Grappling with domestic unrest over rising inflation, unemployment, economic recession and eroding people’s trust in the Army, Pakistan has used the February 5, Kashmir Solidarity Day to reignite anti-India sentiment and boost its terror recruitment by organising a mega terrorist conference. The event on February 5th held at Rawalkot in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), titled “Kashmir Solidarity and Hamas Operation ‘Al Aqsa Flood Conference” marked the coming together of Mujahideens of Palestine and jihadis of Pakistan. The conference was attended by a representative of Hamas in Iran Dr Khalid Qaddoumi, Hamas leaders Dr Naji Zaheer, Mufti Azam and Bilal Alsallat, JeM’s leader Talha Saif, brother of Masood Azhar, commanders Asghar Khan Kashmiri, Masood Ilyas and top LeT leaders. As per some reports, Hafiz Talha Saeed son of Hafiz Saeed made provocative statements with religious overtones from the same platform- “I want to warn PM Modi that Kashmir belongs to Muslims, and we will take Kashmir from you. It will be a part of Pakistan Muslim India soon”. The viral videos of warm embraces, red-carpet welcomes, gun salutes and horse-riding rallies commemorating the presence of Hamas leaders on social media though labelled as a “narrative-building exercise” have deeper undertones to them. Meanwhile, allaying concerns a Pakistani analyst alluded that Hamas participated in the conference “for solidarity with the Kashmir cause, as Hamas believes that the cause of Gaza and Kashmir is one”. He argued that Pakistan’s invitation to Hamas to the conference is part of its strategy to strengthen ties with Iran after both countries ruffled feathers over Balochistan and Iran’s interference in Islamabad’s internal affairs. But this sugar-coated commentary lay bust with Jaish leaders proclaiming that they are all together in fighting for Kashmir. The potential collaboration between Pakistani terror groups and Hamas was orchestrated by ISI which tapped into Hamas' angst with India for condemning the October 7 terror attack on Israeli civilians. India always backed the two-state solution for Israel and supported Palestine's self-determination. But Hamas refuses to recognise the state of Israel and hasn’t been a genuine representative of Palestinian aspirations. Though Hamas has created an illusion of a messiah of Palestinian aspirations, it is inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic resistance movement. Hamas Charter openly calls for the destruction of Israel and weaponises terrorism. By sharing the stage with Pakistani terrorist commanders, Hamas openly backed the Kashmir cause. Hamas representative Khalid Qaddoumi also met hardline Islamist leader, Maulana Fazlur Rahman leader of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam, who played the role of Pakistani ambassador to Palestine and met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar after the October 7 terror attack. In his conversation, Haniyeh said, “The Palestine and Kashmir issues had been a litmus test for advocates of human rights” and indicated that all the Islamists must unite in support of Palestine and Kashmir. The Pan-Islamist terrorist congregation at POK is thus a “convergence of terrorist groups with differing but overlapping agendas”. Firmly backing the event staged by ISI, Pakistan's Prime Minister also travelled to POK to address a special session of assembly at Muzaffarabad where he racked up the Kashmir issue. “India should come out of the thinking of August 5, 2019, and fulfil promises made to the UN and launch a dialogue” and added, “We want all issues, including Kashmir, to be resolved through talks.” But the pretence of peace overture fell flat with reports emerging that Indian security forces had foiled an ambush by Pakistani infiltrators along the LoC on February 5. This operation resulted in the elimination of seven Pakistani infiltrators and three Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT) personnel. The Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan have reached an understanding on a ceasefire in February 2021. But there was no respite for India from cross-border escalations as Pakistan violated the ceasefire with impunity. However, there was a noticeable improvement in the security situation in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 as local recruitment almost dried up. With India stepping up vigilance, Pakistani jihadists had to infiltrate to disrupt the peace in the valley. While J&K is returning to the path of development, Pakistan is facing stiff protests in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, insurgent attacks intensified in Balochistan and its frontier provinces are severely caught up in the cross-border fighting with TTP. Indeed, to counter the TTP, Pakistan is shifting its machinery from LoC to the Northern frontier to take on TTP. The presence of Hamas representatives is an attempt to reactivate cadres and boost the radicalisation and recruitment cycle, the cannon fodder of Pakistan’s terrorism machinery. India is closely monitoring Pakistan’s attempts to revive the terrorist network. By bringing Hamas into its fold, Pakistan intends to internationalise the Kashmir issue once again. As a matter of temporal coincidence, Home Minister Amit Shah in line with India’s zero-tolerance stance to combat terrorism held a high-level meeting in Srinagar and launched a two-pronged strategy. This includes- economically suppressing the terror network through an effective crackdown on drug trafficking through total disassembly of the narcotic distribution system and intensifying cooperation between multiple security agencies. Modi government adopted an uncompromising stance- talks and terror can’t go together and resolutely adhered to it. Colluding with the Islamist network in Bangladesh while Pakistan is creating unrest on India’s eastern frontier, India upped the game by resetting ties with Afghanistan and stepping up bilateral engagement with the Afghan Taliban. But the Hamas presence is something New Delhi can’t ignore considering Trump’s plan to ‘clean out Gaza’. Trump’s latest proposal to take over Gaza and Netanyahu’s acquiescence to the same has huge indirect ramifications for India as well. Pakistan has been a natural magnet for the Islamic terrorists and jihadi groups. As a state sponsor of terror, Pakistan allied with different terrorist organisations including ISIS for its national interests. US takeover of Gaza will force eviction of the highly radicalised Hamas cadres. Keen on utilising Hamas' terror warfare skills, Pakistan might be more than willing to shelter the Palestine mujahideen. Besides, some radical Islamic groups in India have their sympathies with Hamas. Indeed, the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami organised a rally which had a tagline of “Uproot Bulldozer Hindutva and Apartheid Zionism”. Former Hamas chief, Khaled Mashaal virtually attended the rally. The event glorified terrorists under the guise of Saving Palestine. Pakistan and terrorism are inseparable. With an undeniable record of nurturing, funding and leveraging terrorism, Pakistan has positioned itself as a global fount of terrorism. Hamas’ entry into South Asia will certainly change the security dynamics of the region and India must adeptly pull out yet another surgical strike if the situation so warrants. Simultaneously, India must also build a case to designate Hamas as a terror organisation should things come to bear.