22, Feb 2019 | Julio Ribeiro

Julio Ribeiro, former Director General, CRPF who was deputed to Punjab to fight Khalistani terrorists, sent a message for the ‘Citizens Against Terror’ meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.

The spirit of nationalism has been demonstrably proved all over the country as thousands of ordinary citizens spontaneously met in groups, at street corners and halls to show their sympathy with the 41 CRPF jawans who were killed in one instant explosion triggered by a fidayeen.

They also demonstrated their anger against those who used violence in such an unethical and cruel manner.

As a former head of the CRPF, I join my fellow citizens of this great country to not only sympathise with the near and dear ones of the victims, but also ask people to stop and contemplate what can be done to avoid such massacres. For one, please remember that the boy who gave up his own life to kill others was an Indian citizen since he belonged to our side of the Kashmir Valley and not to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. What motivated him to sacrifice his own life! This is a question the authorities must ask in order to find a solution.

We have to approach the problem in an even-handed and thoughtful manner and learn from all the previous experiences of combating terrorism.

For 200 years, the Irish IRA tried to use terrorist tactics again the British Crown and failed to achieve its objective. In Punjab, closer home, we succeeded in putting an end to terrorism only after the Sikh Jat farmers started handing over the terrorists in their midst to the police.We can learn lessons from their experiences.

It is important to win the hearts and minds of the community to which the terrorists belong.

The complete original article may be read here.