The world is today witnessing a rise of terrorist activities in different parts of the world.  A number of groups, owing allegiance to some political ideology or some particular religious beliefs, have chosen the path of violence and terror to achieve their objects.  These vested interests are rabid fundamentalists or fanatics having no sanctity for life. The know no principles or values.  They believe in the power of the gun and want to achieve their objects overnight.

While some of these groups are fighting for control over some pieces of land, others are fighting for spreading their own ideology or religious philosophies.  They choose to defy public opinion and refuse to see reason.  They think that their own view point or stand is the only right view point or stand, and that they have a right to convert other people to their thinking by force.  For this avowed purpose they do not hesitate from committing the worst of crimes including murder of innocent citizens, looting or burning property, kidnapping people, hijacking planes and creating terror in one way or the other.

Some of the important terrorist organizations operating in different parts of the world have already been identified. The Al0Aaeda in Afghanistan, the Jaishe Mohmmad and the Lashker-e-Toiba based in Pakistan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation in the Middle East, the LTTE in Sri Lanka, the Maoists in Nepal, the Naxalite organization called People¡¯s War Group (PWA) in parts of India, the Naga National Council, several pro—Pakistan groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, the Irish Army in the U.K., etc. are already playing havoc in their respective areas.  The number of these organizations is so large that it is difficult to list them out.  They have their own training systems where they catch hold of young boys and indoctrinate them in subtle ways through guile, treachery, temptations or money.  At several places they are running their own schools to ¡®Catch them young¡¯ and wash their brains.  Some of the Madarsas being run by Muslim fundamentalists are allegedly involved in this type of activities.

It would on September 11, 2001 that the world woke up to the dangers of this terrible menace.  A group of Al- Qaeda terrorists, guided and supported by the Taliban leader Osama Bin Laden based in Afghanistan, struck terror in the U.S.A. in a big way.  They hijacked four US planes from some US civilian airports.  While one of these planes hit against the US headquarters in Pentagon, another two planed brought down the towering World Trade Centre, killing at least 5000 innocent US citizens.  The fourth, luckily, missed the target.  It was, the reports say, scheduled to hit the White House, the residence of the US president.

George Bush, the President of the USA, swung into action and ordered US air force to attack Afghanistan and bring the terrorists to book.  In a massive attack, the Talibans were defeated and destroyed and a new government came to control Afghanistan.  Similarly America attacked Iraq as President Saddam himself appeared to be a big terror.  Iraq was badly damaged.  A group of terrorists trained in Pakistan attacked the Indian Parliament House on December 13, 2001 even when the Parliament was in session.  The Indian security personnel killed all the five attackers on the spot but the incident shook whole of the country and the world.  The war against terrorists is continuing and the world community has decided to continue to fight till terrorism is fully wiped out from the face of this earth.

The UNO has, in a resolution, called upon various nations to join hands and work as United Alliance to face this threat of terrorism anywhere at any time in the world.

Pak-trained terrorists continue to cross over to India and let loose a reign of terror in        J & K.  Terrorism has already taken a heavy toll of life and property.  It is a shame that even as the human civilization is marching ahead,  some people are bent upon pushing the world back to the age of barbarism and brutality full of chaos and indiscipline.  The law of the jungle will take us nowhere.  We can only pray for good sense of prevail so that the world is able to share and enjoy the blessings bestowed upon mankind by new leaps in the field of science and technology.