Vigilance is the eternal price we pay for freedom. When that vigilance lends itself to results like the capture of the most wanted terror operator Syed Abdul Karim Tunda, the endless hours of work by intelligence and anti-terror agencies are rewarded.
It should matter little if the Nepalese forces detained Tunda and handed him over to the Delhi police because the fight against terror is universal and India must lean on friendly neighbours to stay in the battle.
The bomb maker is easily the biggest fish in India’s net for a while now. Not only has the one-armed bandit spread the bomb culture with his knowhow, but he was also a vital link between the LeT and terror financier Dawood Ibrahim. Singing like a canary in custody, Tunda has spilled the beans on the Pakistan government’s unwillingness or inability to rein in the ISI from being directly associated with terror activities.
The capture of Tunda may or may not convince the world that Pakistan is an active player in sponsoring terror activity in India. But, India’s war against terror should go way beyond trying to earn brownie points from the international community by publicising the nefarious misdeeds of Tunda. He is a terrorist, pure and simple, and it should be our endeavour to rope in the help of all countries to nab people like him, put them in and throw away the key. This will always remain our fight and the more thoroughly we do counter-terror background work the greater the chances of capturing the core operators.