India has long been the target of cross-border terrorism, most of it stemming from Pakistan. Despite repeated attacks over the decades and loud proclamations of zero tolerance, there remain glaring gaps in our ability to pre-empt, intercept and neutralise threats before they unfold on Indian soil.
No one is suggesting it is possible to monitor every inch of the Line of Control or seal off every clandestine route through rugged terrain. But that cannot be a standing excuse each time terrorists manage to infiltrate, conduct reconnaissance, and strike with chilling precision. A country that boasts of being a regional superpower must do more than offer post-facto justifications.
Intelligence must lead, not lag
It is not enough to act after the blast. Intelligence agencies must be empowered to stay several steps ahead of the enemy. That means building deeper human networks, improving inter-agency coordination, and leveraging technology to pick up the faintest tremors of an impending strike. It is not for want of capability that we fail, but for want of coherence and urgency.
We must take a leaf out of Israel’s playbook. Mossad, with its clinical efficiency and ruthless precision, has shown what a compact, sharp intelligence agency can do with the right intent, discipline, and political backing. Whether it is tracking down enemies abroad or dismantling terror plots before they hatch, the Israeli model puts national security above all else – and delivers.
India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), along with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other arms of the security apparatus, must shed the lumbering ways of the past. They must embrace speed, stealth, and synergy – and become world leaders in intelligence gathering and cybersecurity. As the battlefield shifts increasingly to digital terrain, there is no excuse for lagging. A firewall must be as strong as a frontier post.
State-sheltered terror ecosystem
Let us also not be under any illusion that these attacks are the work of rogue actors alone. The so-called ‘non-state actors’ – Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and their ilk – are not floating in a vacuum. They are bred, trained, and protected within Pakistani territory under the watchful eye of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and with the tacit, often overt, support of the Pakistan Army.
These groups enjoy safe havens, logistical support, ideological indoctrination, and, when needed, diplomatic shielding on international platforms. The ISI’s deep involvement in coordinating terror strikes, from planning to execution, has been repeatedly documented, not just by India but by foreign intelligence agencies as well. The line between state and non-state is deliberately blurred in Pakistan, and it is time the world – and India in particular – stopped pretending otherwise.
Threats from both east and west
The threat is no longer limited to the western frontier. With elements in Bangladesh harbouring expansionist dreams over the Seven Sisters in the Northeast, India must not allow a repeat of the old mistake – underestimating intent until it is too late. The borders in that region are notoriously porous, making it fertile ground for sleeper cells, smugglers, and state-backed subversion.
Our eyes in the sky
India’s space programme has achieved global stature. We launch record-breaking missions, explore planets, and put satellites in orbit with admirable frequency. But our advanced technology must also serve our most pressing security needs. If we can capture images of lunar craters, why should it be impossible to detect the movement of armed infiltrators in the forests of Poonch or along the Brahmaputra basin?
Surveillance should be proactive, not merely forensic. Sophisticated imaging, AI-based pattern detection, and real-time border monitoring must become routine tools in our security architecture. We should be able to detect the movement of a human, the flutter of a bird, or the shift in a rock if it hints at enemy presence.
Securing the nation cannot be seasonal
What we need is not sporadic bursts of preparedness after each tragedy but a culture of continuous vigilance. The adversary is not on a break. They watch, wait, probe, and strike when we least expect it. India cannot afford to be surprised – not again, not anymore.
Nipping future attempts in the bud must not be an aspiration but a doctrine. We must move from reaction to prevention, from blame-shifting to responsibility-taking. That will require political will, institutional reform, and a national consensus on internal security that rises above partisanship. To be perpetually caught unawares is not just unfortunate – it is unacceptable.
