A Repeat of Mahmud Ghaznavi? Not Again! Cost for Acts of Terrorism on Indian Soil Should be Forbiddingly High

The dilemma of terrorism: India’s financial capital Mumbai has again come under brazen attack by terrorists leaving over 250 dead and over 1,000 injured. For a change, this time world attention has zoomed into this because top rung people staying in posh 5 star hotels have been the victims, mostly foreigners. If you want to solve the problem understand the psyche of the terrorists. It is obvious that the terrorists wanted to frighten, cause chaos, weaken the spirit and paralyse the Indian nation. Inimical powers opposed to the rise of India are obviously behind this. The other reason could be that a religious sect wants to overpower, dominate, rule and browbeat into submission a predominantly Hindu India.

Strong deterrance for such acts and making it abundantly clear that India will not be bullied into submission and will only negotiate from a position of strength on its own terms and at a place and time of its convenience and choosing, that India will not compromise on its sovereignty or territorial integrity no matter how high the cost in terms of human lives or resources is the only answer. This is also a time to deeply introspect on our lacunae in the intelligence and security set up in the country and reorganization and proper redeployment of forces. The message must go out in loud, clear and forceful language that the cost for acts of terrorism in Indian soil are forbiddingly high and that the Indian state has the will and resolve to defeat inimical forces. Ten terrorists for one innocent life must be the motto.

Islamist terror attacks on Indian soil in the last 16 years bear a chilling similarity to Ghazni’s invasions of India starting 1000 AD. Each time Ghazini came looted, plundered and killed thousands of Hindus. Every time the divided Hindu kings accepted his lordship and allowed him to get away. Even today, the government (both the present UPA and the earlier NDA) have done little to prosecute the terrorists and allows them to live. Eventually, this paved the way for the Muslim rule in India. Are we seeing a repeat. History seems to be repeating itself.

Until the rise of the West, India was possibly the richest country in the world. To the extent that India’s climate was more temperate than China’s, and the land probably more fertile, it is likely India was the richer one. Such a country presented an irresistible target for the ravening Mongols and their descendants who settled in present day Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikstan, all within comparatively easy reach of northwestern India. The northwest was, at this time, a mish-mash of warring kingdoms, more interested in settling scores with their neighbours than in unifying against the Mongols. It is then unsurprising that Mahmud Ghaznavi’s armies so handily defeated those of the Indian kings.

Mahmud Ghanznavi (translated: Mahmud of Ghazni) was not, according to some, like future Muslim invaders of India, a religious proselytizer. Indeed, with the exception of Punjab, which he needed as his "forward operating base" for his Indian expeditions, he made no attempt to rule any of his conquests. His intent was economic and political. It has been said that the destruction of Somnath is mentioned only in Muslim texts, whose authors had the habit of exaggeration. This view goes as far as to say in the opinion of some, the Ghaznivad empire fell apart because of Mahmud’s excessive reliance on Hindu soldiers and generals.

MAHMUD GHAZNAVI: Born in 971, Mahmud Ghaznavi was the elder son of Subuktagin, the king of Ghazni. When Subuktagin attacked King Jaipal, Mahmud fought for his father in the battlefield. Though Mahmud was the elder son of his father, it is said that in his last days, Subuktagin was not happy with Mahmud. So, when Subuktagin died in 997, his younger son Ismail became the king of Ghazni. Ismail reigned only for a little time. Very soon, Mahmud defeated him and became the king. Mahmud began a series of seventeen raids into northwestern India at the end of the 10th century. Nonetheless, he did not attempt to rule Indian territory except for the Punjab, which was his gateway to India, as Ghazni lay in present day Afghanistan.

In 1000 AD Ghazni occupied frontier Indian towns. During 1001-03 AD he raided Jaipal and Peshawar. Jaipal was the king of Hindushahi Kingdom. Mahmud had already fought against him, when Subuktagin was the king of Ghazni. When Mahmud became the king, he decided to attack on Hindushahi Kingdom, as its king, Jaipal, was his old enemy. In 1001, Mahmud attacked the Hindushahi Kingdom. 15,000 Hindu soldiers were killed. Jaipal was defeated and captured. He was presented before Mahmud with his 15 other relatives; 500,000 enslaved persons were also brought along. Mahmud looted all his wealth. He received 250,000 dinars to free Jaipal. About 5,00,000 Indians were taken to Ghazni as slaves.

Though Jaipal was freed, but he refused to survive his disgrace. He cast himself upon a funeral pyre and died. In 1008, Anandpal was the son of Jaipal, and now became the king of Hindushahi Kingdom. In 1008, Mahmud attacked Anandpal. Anandpal called other Hindu kings to help him. The kings of Ujjain, Gwalior, Kalinjar, Kannauj, Delhi, Ajmer etc. came to help him with their armies. In the battlefield of Peshawar, both the armies remained standing before each other, but no one attacked. Meanwhile the Khokhars (a race) also came there to help the Hindus. Mahmud deployed 6,000 archers to attack. Khokhars attacked the Muslims and killed approximately 5,000 Muslims. 

Unfortunately, Jaipal's elephant became infuriated and ran from the battlefield. As soon as Jaipal left the battlefield, the Hindu army got confused and ran away. Muslims chased them and killed 20,000 Hindus. Thus, the best organized national efforts ever made by medieval Hindu India against the foreigners ended. In 1009 Ghazni invaded Nagarkot (Kangra). Nagarkot was very famous for its wealth kept in its temples. So, Mahmud decided to invade Nagarkot. Like a swarm of locusts, his army destroyed everything in its path. Paralyzed with fear, the defenders opened the city’s gate and fell on the ground in submission. Mahmud got so much jewellery, gold and silver, that when he returned to his capital, his people congregated to see the incredible wealth of India.

In 1014 AD, Ghazni invaded Thanesar. Mahmud came to know of the riches of Thanesar’s temples. In 1014, he invaded Thanesar. The Hindus wanted to reach on a compromise, but Mahmud refused. His army destroyed the city, massacred the inhabitants, and plundered the sacred temples. In 1015 ADm Ghazni invaded the Kashmir Valley. In 1018-19 AD he invaded Mathura and Kannauj. When Mahmud invaded Mathura, he was amazed to see so many huge and beautiful Hindu temples. No one would resist him, and he entered the city unopposed, leaving with untold wealth. Then, he attacked Kannauj in January of 1019. The King of Kannauj, Rajpal Pratihar did not dare to stop him and ran away. The invaders looted the sacred temples. Many innocent people were killed. 

The king of Kannauj, Rajpal Pratihar accepted the superiority of Mahmud Ghaznavi and then Mahmud turned back to Ghazni. In 1021 AD, Ghazni raided Kalinjar. Rajpal Pratihar, the king of Kannauj, had accepted the superiority of Mahmud. This made other Rajput kings angry. The Rajput kings of Kalinjar, Gandda Chandel, with the king of Gwalior and others attacked Kannauj and killed the king Rajpal Pratihar. Mahmud was unhappy with this. To punish the culprits, he attacked Kalinjar. The king, Gandda Chandel accepted the superiority of Mahmud. Mahmud was satisfied with the money the King gave him and he returned.

In 1023 AD he attacked Lahore. In 1925 AD, Ghazni raided Somnath which was his 16th Invasion, the most famous and terrible invasion, against the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, western India. This was an immense distance from Ghazni, but one supposes by now he was so feared that he had easy passage. The Somnath temple was very famous for its treasures. There were one thousand priests to serve the temple. Hundreds of dancers and singers played before its gate. There was the famous Linga, a rude pillar stone, adorned with gems embroidered with precious like stars, which decorated the shrine. The brave Hindu Rajputs came forward to defend the temple. 

Shouting 'Allah hu Akbar', the enemy tried to enter into the temple. The Hindus fought very bravely and the invaders could not damage the temple. The battle lasted for three days. After three days, the invaders succeeded and entered into the Somnath temple. Mahmud ordered his men to destroy the sacred idol, Linga. He looted the treasures of the temple. It is said that he got wealth worth 20-million dinars, eighty times the already huge sum he had gained on his first invasion. The year 1026 AD was Ghazni's 17th and last invasion: After looting the Somnath temple, when Mahmud was going back to Ghazni, the Jats had attacked his army. So, to punish the Jats, he returned and defeated them in 1026.

Shootings that killed hundreds in Mumbai on Wednesday is another in a series of terrorist attacks that have rocked India in the last few years. Almost all terrorist attacks have Islamist origins. This is a startling trend. Those who do not learn from histroy are condemned to repeat it. Will the Indian nation again go the same way?

Following is a chronology of some of the major attacks in India in the past three years:

• Oct 29, 2005: Sixty-six people are killed when three blasts rip through markets in New Delhi.
• March 7, 2006: At least 15 people are killed and 60 wounded in three blasts in the Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi. 
• July 11, 2006: More than 180 are killed in seven bomb explosions at railway stations and on trains in Mumbai that are blamed on Islamist militants.
• Feb 19, 2007: Two bombs explode aboard a train heading from India to Pakistan; at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis, burn to death.
• Aug 25, 2007: Three coordinated explosions at an amusement park and a street stall in Hyderabad kill at least 40.
• May 13, 2008: Seven bombs rip through the crowded streets of the western city of Jaipur, killing at least 63 in markets and outside Hindu temples.
• July 25: Eight small bombs hit the IT city of Bangalore, killing one woman and wounding at least 15.
• July 26: At least 16 small bombs explode in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, killing 45 and wounding 161. A little-known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claims responsibility for the attack and the May 13 attack in Jaipur.
• Sept 13: At least five bombs explode in crowded markets and streets in the heart of New Delhi, killing at least 23 and injuring more than 100. The Indian Mujahideen again claim responsibility.
• Oct 30: Eleven bomb blasts in quick succession ripped through the main city of India's troubled northeastern Assam state and three other towns on Thursday, killing 76 and wounding at least 320.