Are We A ‘SOFT’ State?: Civil Services Mentor Magazine April 2013

The term ‘soft state’ was first used by the noted economist Gunnar Myrdal in his classic book The Asian Drama in the context of South Asia for the inability of the states to implement their economic plans and programmes efficiently and effectively. Now the term has acquired additional dimensions of meaning that subsumes a comprehensive collapse of even the most basic functions of the state. A contemporary political commentator Atul Kohli has aptly drawn attention to the paradox of the enormous expansion of the state power in India at the same time when its powerlessness to act effectively is equally obvious.

India is vulnerable to terror attacks. To fight terror, the country needs to strengthen its security and intelligence. The need of hour is to revamp border security, maritime security and aerial security. The nation needs a complete recast of its intelligence mechanism. There is a pressing need for stringent counter-terrorism policy and its implementation. In order to weed out terrorism from its roots, India needs to terrorise the terrorists and their sympathizers. In the end, the one pertinent thought that resonates years after the 26/11 attacks is – Does human life count for even a little bit in India? The government should act and that too fast. Indira Gandhi who was once considered as one of the world’s powerful leader was the Prince Minister of the country who proved that India was not a soft state through her actions In the war with Pakistan in 1971 leading to the creation of Bangladesh, annexation of Sikkim in 1975 and suppression of separatist move-ment in the country. 1971 the Pakistani army heavily cracked down on the civilian population of erstwhile East Pakistan and as a result over 10 million refugees fled to India. The Pakistan military action was in disregard to the election verdict which caused the emergence of Awami League as the single largest party.

The Pakistan military dictatorship under Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan and the then political leaders of West Pakistan apprehended the shifting of political capital from Islamabad to Dhaka or separation of its eastern wing, despite assurances the Bangaoandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to resolve the issue within the framework of Pakistan.