"Evolution in Terrorism is becoming a phenomenon" -D.R. Kaarthikeyan

"The aspect of terrorism has undergone a metamorphosis since the 1960's. At that time the terrorist organizations were more Euro centric and the war was more ideological. The crusade was between capitalism and socialism. It was sponsored by either of the two blocs and was purely political. However, today the situation varies as the target has shifted to Asia and the fight though still ideological is based on the concept of mid-east centric 'jehad', which is fast becoming international," said Mr. D. R. Kaarthikeyan.

He was addressing the participants of the 3rd Post Graduate Human Rights Diploma course at the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra at Dehradun. The lecture was also attended by some human ecology students on a visit from Sweden and Denmark. The students will later be doing a comprehensive research on the field of various RLEK endeavors.

The former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation also threw light on the kind of people lured by the terrorist organizations. During the Cold War era, the leadership was strong and trans-national but in the present times, the illiterate lower strata tends to be more involved in terrorist strikes due to financial constraints. Also the funder's have changed from being from the either of the two block's in the 1960's to Intelligence agents in the 1980's and at present the main sponsors of monetary aid to terrorist organization are either religious fanatics or drug traffickers.

Drawing further comparison Mr. Kaarthikeyan, also commented on the techniques, material and intentions of warfare, "The line between state and non-state targets is soon disappearing. Four decades back, the ammunition was confirmed to pistols and rifles, the trend changed to RPK and AK-47 in the 1980's but today there are more sophisticated weapons that are capable of destroying the whole human civilization in a few moments. Similarly, the objective of terrorists has always been the spread of terror but with changing times, the militants tend to focus on all including the civil society rather than just the military."

The former Director of the Central Reserve Police also commented on the altering tactics of modern 'jehad' or fight for the purity of Islam compared to previous terrorist activities. " The tactics have also undergone a considerable change. Earlier, the terrorists were using techniques like warning, bombing and assassination to create fear amongst the people but with the onset of religious notions and stereotypes, the terrorists have succumbed to being suicide bombers and using more complex methods of creating the fear syndrome which eventually gets enshrined in every individual's mindset. The terrorists today, have access to nuclear and biological weapons which can cause mass destruction."

"Terrorism is soon becoming a continuation of a religious policy and because of readily available funds, its tentacles are spreading fast. As a phenomenon, it is very close to being a Third World War."

Mr. Kaarthikeyan suggested that the failing promise of economic stability, lack of government support, failed societal structure and networks, and failed states are prone to support terrorist activities. In certain cases, these states therefore, move towards dictatorships.

Quoting the incident of the largest gathering of the General Assembly in October this year, the former special Director of the National Human Rights Commission said that there was unanimous support for the move towards eradication of terrorism from the world. " This is only possible if the agenda is well-defined, controlled and time- bound and does not cause harm to material and life of the innocent individuals. Severity of punishment is not important but certainty of punishment will act as a deterrent to the process."