The BJP is very incensed that AAP minister Kapil Mishra has asked on Twitter "Is Indian Prime minister an ISI agent?" The media is also declaring that AAP has lowered the level of debate and such language should not be used for the Prime Minister of the country. I agree, partly. Public debate demands a certain amount of civility and the dignity of an elected office should not be compromised. But this language has to be understood in a particular context, and without that context it is naive to pass any judgment.
It's a known fact that virtually every act of terror inflicted on India has been designed and executed by Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency, the ISI. India has never minced its words in this regard. Thousands of lives have been lost. Soldiers have been martyred defending the sovereignty of the country. Due to the ISI, South Asia has time and again been referred to as the most dangerous flash-point in the world.
It has been a consistent stand by India that terrorism is a state policy of Pakistan, that Pakistani agencies train terrorists, that their land is used for cross-border terrorism. Under global pressure, Pakistan has shifted the blame on non-state actors for such cowardly acts. There is enough proof that these non-state actors are controlled by the ISI. So it is difficult for me to comprehend the Modi government's audacious invitation to the same ISI to India to investigate the attack on the Pathankot air base.
The agency which has been exporting terrorism to India can't be invited to investigate the terror operation, unless the Modi government is sure that the ISI is innocent and had no role in the attack on Pathankot. It is just not possible that the agency which is killing our soldiers and innocent civilians is asked to investigate their own act! If the ISI is responsible for Pathankot, then how can the same ISI be invited to investigate? And if the Modi government believes that ISI is not the culprit in this case, then the government should inform the nation about the same. Till now, there has been no communication in this regard, and in the absence of it, nobody in India is willing to give the benefit of doubt to the ISI or the Modi government !
Now, he is the Prime Minister and responsibility has shifted from Rahul Gandhi to Modi to teach Pakistan and ISI a lesson or two, but unfortunately, his government wants us to believe that ISI is innocent and India can trust it with an investigation. The Prime Minister has not informed the nation since he has assumed charge of the country about his change of heart.
Everybody knows that the Pakistani JIT (Joint Investigating Team) has been given five-star hospitality. May I remind Mr Prime Minister again of what he said earlier - "the heads of our soldiers are cut off, but on the other hand, Pakistani leaders are treated to chicken biryani." This he said in March 2014 in Baghpat. I hope he has not forgotten that seven Indian soldiers have been killed in Pathankot. And this has happened just after Mr Prime Minister dashed to Lahore to greet his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.
The same Modi who had raised serious objections to the Manmohan Singh government engaging with Pakistan after terror attacks. In a TV programme, he went on to say - "Love letter
likhna band karna chahiye! Pakistan
ko usi ki bhasha mein jawab dena chahiye" (stop this courting of Pakistan, respond in the same way that it treats India). Ironically under his leadership, the country is bending forward and backward to appease Pakistan and its leadership.
Mr Prime Minister, we want to ask what has transpired in your meeting with Nawaz Sharif on December 25, 2015 that you have suddenly become so benevolent towards sinners? Your action has the potential to change India's narrative on terrorism for the last 40 years. Now people are asking whether India has been wrong in blaming ISI for various terror attacks? Were pre-Modi governments wrong in their assessment and analysis that terrorism in India was sponsored by the ISI?
Mr Prime minister, the fact is that your government has handed over character certificates to those who have played havoc on Mother India. It's a compromise with national security and is against national interest. With this act, India will never again be able to blame the ISI for terror attacks.
And we all are upset - including Kapil Mishra.
(Ashutosh joined the Aam Aadmi Party in January 2014.)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.