Territorial Integrity

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

Having hostile neighbors takes away a lot of resources from a nation; defending itself and defending its territorial integrity.  If you have a large geographical territory to protect and have limited protection against insurgency, especially when there is constant strife with the neighbors. It really sucks up the resources and energy of any nation.  India since its independence and division in 1947 has struggled to be at peace because of the issues with its neighbors.  To start with the division on lines of religion and leaving India as a secular nation was an idea which has not been successful for India, and has caused grief every day for Indians.  Western European nations simply have geographical boundaries on the map and very little need for protecting their boundaries.  The respect the countries have for each other and their neighbors is well represented in the conduct of each of the nations.  For some reason, ill-conceived by the nations with limited or no resources (don’t want to use the term third world, or poor in defining countries) seem to have difficulties with each other, barring the insurgencies in the middle east which do have great resources but have difficulties within the region.

Sharing a land boundary and not having the well to do and working population, and also having different political and religious ideologies create most of the world’s territorial conflicts these days.  All ill-conceived ass it is to fight with the neighbors, instead of focus on the internal issues of a country, it constantly and continuous happening in the world today.  While the wealthy nations focus on wealth creation the poor cousins fight with each other.

Even if the Indians assume that the INC since 1947, did not have the back bone to standup and put a stop to the aggression of its neighbors (ignoring the 1965 and 1971 wars, and some more intermittent skirmishes did not put the neighbor in its place) what is wrong with the government in 2015?  The talk of protecting the nation and the constant talk of defense spending and defense expansion, and the whole lot of talk on national security, but nothing to show that there is seriousness in protecting the nation and defending it.  India gets fired at every day, and people simple cross the border and attack the nation well within the boundaries of the nation, and the insurgents get caught, but still no action.  Is it a nation incapable of protecting its borders, and is it run by big talking politicians who are not really interested in its integrity and its people?

There are so many questions that come to mind with respect to the country and its ability to defend and protect its boundaries and its people.

Why should India speak to anyone about its internal and territorial issues?

Why should India entertain discussions on its own land?
Why does India have different status for a region of the nation?
Why doesn’t India reclaim and reoccupy the land that has been occupied since 1947 by its neighbors?
Why do politicians from India even engage in continued discussions on its own territorial integrity?
Why does India simply brush off terror attacks on its citizens and within its territories?
Why doesn’t India apply the same logic to protecting its people and its territory as does every other nation on earth?

Indians probably look at their daily news and ask a million questions of its leaders.  No other democratic country on earth would entertain such acts against its people as India does and its politicians simply mouth off but do nothing.

The most absurd explanation from the politicians and nations leaders has always been that we need to deal with this situation with caution.  For sure, it has been going on every day since 1947, and caution is not a 100 year old thing to follow.  The politicians in power should have some spine and take tough action on anyone attacking the country and its people.  It’s about time that the talking part ends and the action part to begin to show that the nation is and will be a nation of laws and a nation that can protect itself and its people. Jai Hind.