Pursuing health & well-being
Terrorism has been a persistent concern in the post-war era and in need of desperate intervention – but through diverse dialogue and not counter-violence
Terrorist violence in Pulwama which killed our brave young soldiers fighting for the sovereignty of the country has shaken the whole nation. Each citizen is aghast at this violent act. Expected widespread anger and feeling of revenge prevail. Life is the most sacred thing on earth. It is beyond imagination how can one think of destroying this beautiful gift of nature.
The medical profession has through history worked to save lives and promote good health. Doctors around the world work day and night for preserving life and preventing diseases so that we do not fall sick. In the event of being ill, medics put forth all their efforts to treat the person's illness and put him/her back to work. Every year millions are spent globally on doing research to invent new methods of treatment so that the generations to come can lead a better life. Death is the end of life which doctors try their best to prevent. This is why it is important to oppose violence of all kinds.
It is unfortunate that our region, one of the most deprived in the world, is constantly suffering the heat of violence in one form or the other. This leads to further deprivation of resources away from our basic needs and on towards wasteful expenditure on armaments. Terrorism has killed a large number of people both in India and Pakistan.
As per a report by National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence, University of Maryland, published in September 2018, number of terrorist attacks globally in 2017 was 8584 which caused the death of 18753 people and injured 19461 persons.
During the same year, there were 574 terrorist attacks in Pakistan causing the death of 851 persons. In India, there occurred 860 attacks leading to the death of 380 persons including the incidents in Chhattisgarh and northeast. Both the countries have witnessed serious terrorist incidents like the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 and Mumbai in 2008. In Pakistan, the worst incident has been the terrorist attack on school children in Lahore.
Such violence leaves behind a long tale of unforgettable events and misery. Those injured in such violence have to suffer all their life due to loss of limbs, eyes or other organs besides the mental disorders including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Children lose their school education and worst is the loss of love and affection and care of parents.
Such events create a natural hatred against the perpetrator and demand a similar response and stringent action. But such situations have to be tackled with much seriousness and statesmanship. Rhetoric may yield catastrophic results.
War is one of the most serious threat to public health with catastrophic effects on infrastructure and environment; accounting for more deaths and disability than many major diseases combined. It destroys families, communities and sometimes, entire cultures. It channels limited resources away from health and other social needs.
In the present situation, any talk of aggression could be of serious consequences as both India and Pakistan are nuclear-armed nations. The use of these weapons in the event of war cannot be ruled out. The death of over 200,000 people killed by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the continuing effects of radiation fallout is still not forgotten. Present day nuclear weapons are deadlier. Even limited use of 100 nuclear weapons could put 2 billion people at risk.
It is time to work collectively to curb the menace of terrorism which is a totally inhuman and dastardly act. Whereas it is important to defend the sovereignty of the nation, it is imperative to wage an ideological struggle against terrorism through civil society actions against fundamentalism, conservatism coupled with the creation of more avenues for education & job opportunities. When dialogue ends violence begins. There is a need for greater statesmanship from all sides. Let us remember the preaching of Red Cross and Bhai Kanhaiya – a Sikh known for attending to all wounded members in the battlefield irrespective of what side they were on.
(Dr. Arun Mitra is Senior Vice President, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development. The views expressed are strictly personal)
