- Former Indian army chief, lawmaker fears replication of Peshawar like episode in India by indigenous jihadi elements
Shankar Roychowdhury, Indian writer, former chief of army staff and former parliamentarian, has expressed fear that the biggest threat that may come from the Peshawar massacre is the possibility of an attempted replication by indigenous jihadi elements targeting teaching establishments from pathshalas to public schools in India.
In his article published in Decan chronicle, he writes that the massacre of over 140 schoolchildren and teachers by Taliban at the Army School in Peshawar sparked paroxysms of grief in the country and outrage worldwide.
The sheer ghastliness of the atrocity prompted offers of assistance from the Indian prime minister to his counterpart in Pakistan, minutes of silence in both the houses of the Indian Parliament and candlelight marches across India. Shortly thereafter, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack as a response to Pakistani airstrikes on Taliban hideouts in North Waziristan.
Roychowdhury said prior detection of such an attack is almost impossible. It will require good intelligence and a great deal of luck.
According to Napoleon Bonaparte, the ultimate winning factor in war is luck, he said.