From Borders to Bytes: Examining India’s fight against multifaceted security challenges

Analysis

By Ruchika Sharma 

In contemporary times, the form of threats to a country’s security environment—both internal and external—has become more complex and challenging than ever before. Internal risks are deeply intertwined with external risks, worsening the vulnerabilities. India’s vast borders, coastline, and strategic location influence its vulnerabilities. The continuously evolving landscape faces an increasing threat from cyberterrorism, drone proliferation, and hybrid warfare as seen after Operation Sindoor, carried out by India after the dastardly Pahalgam attack, with The Resistance Front (TRF) as a mastermind. There were nefarious attempts to create fabricated narratives to obscure the truth. The presence of external threats as well as long-standing challenges like insurgency, cross-border terrorism, and Naxalism, the growing nexus between drugs and terrorism, demands an adaptive approach to safeguard security and the stability. India also faces an unprecedented challenge of a 3.5-front war, facing persistent challenges from Pakistan, China, civil war, and now, increasingly, from Bangladesh.

India’s neighbouring countries plagued by instability, birthing extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, among other stands amplifies the magnitude of security threats. Pakistan is an immediate source of threat for India. The wave of terrorism in Pakistan can be attributed to its long-standing strategies and policies of providing a safe haven to the terrorists. Also, by serving as a launch pad for the terrorists, Pakistan is perilous to India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. The LOC witnesses frequent ceasefire violations and infiltration of Pakistan’s sponsored terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Using social media to wage disinformation, generating false narratives, radicalization, Pakistani-backed elements often lure Kashmiri youths with the deceptive promises of liberation-inspired fantasies. The consolidation of political, bureaucratic and military network in Pakistan produces a weak civilian government which fails to look beyond revenge and hate-driven policies, causing incessant damage to their own credibility to govern, harming their populace and undermining the regional stability.

Another challenge is posed by the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime in Bangladesh. The attack on Hindu minorities and others, resurgence of extremist groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami (JMI) and their removal of ban is alarming for India. Bangladesh's proximity to India's sensitive regions like the northeast, disturbed by the ethnic clashes is concerning. The security anxieties are further exacerbated by unrest in Myanmar, bordering the cultural and ethnic diverse region of the northeast. The influx of illegal migrants in the region alters the demography and intensifies violent activities including insurgency. India is sandwiched between Golden Crescent, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran and Golden Triangle, including Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

It is profoundly concerning that Myanmar has become the global crime capital of the world with a high criminality score ( from 7.59 in 2021 to 8.15 in 2023). After the overthrow of democratic regime of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has plunged into deep chaos. The Global Organized Crime Index has made a shocking revelation that Myanmar has now become the biggest nexus of organized crime on the planet. It is not only the world’s largest producer of opium but also one of the world’s largest manufacturers of synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine, ketamine and fentanyl and a hub of cyber and financial crimes as well. The proximity and porous borders of India’s northeastern states—Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh—facilitate drug trafficking. Another region, Kashmir, close to the golden crescent also faces the double challenge of drugs and terrorism. An Indian Express report of 2023 revealed the alarming rise in consumption of drugs, seizures, drug abuse, and related crimes, piling up of FIRs, have created havoc in the Kashmir valley. This organised crime-causing drug addiction epidemic is devastating countless lives of youth and their families. The existence of narco-terrorism with the pumping of drugs into the valley has been dubbed a bigger threat than militancy in Kashmir. Pakistan, relentlessly worsening security challenges at every turn, runs its shadow economy with the drug syndicate. While recent data remains elusive, the old figures of the UNDCP reflect Pakistan's heroin industry turnover which was estimated at approximately 5 percent of its GDP in 1992–93. It also reported that Pakistan earned US $1.5 billion from the export of heroin in 1992. Narco-terrorist tactics have undergone a paradigm shift. Monish Bhalla in his book ‘India Drugged’ also mentions that not only drugs but also weapon consignments are illegally brought across the fence.

Drug lords and the mafia from Afghanistan are the major sources of drug trafficking. Money generated from illegal drug smuggling fuels Afghanistan's fractured economy. The Taliban-ruled country provides more than 85% of the world’s opium output, from there, it travels to Pakistan, Punjab, and then Jammu and Kashmir. Anyone can be given money and made couriers. Mostly women are made couriers in these drug trafficking modules. Illicit opium farming in Kashmir is a grave concern for India as it makes its way into various marketplaces in Punjab. Other states like Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, and Uttarakhand are also home to illegal poppy cultivation. Major heroin trafficking navigates in India through the India-Pakistan border, i.e., through the bordering states. The drug distribution makes inroads into India from these bordering areas.

Another pressing challenge is Cyberterrorism, also known as information warfare emanating from borderless cyberspace, which manages to penetrate and disrupt society. With the intent to damage and destruct, it exploits the most vulnerable space where our physical and virtual worlds converge. Online radicalization, disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda fuel an ideology aimed at distorting the social harmony of a society. India is vulnerable to these attacks; often Pakistan and China are involved in such campaigns. As more and more critical infrastructure gets digitised, the potential of these attacks increases significantly. Cyberspace is considered the fifth dimension of warfare. Cyber warfare is increasingly challenging because incognito and anonymity offer a shield to the attackers, which makes it difficult to track them.

Shifting focus to another critical form of threat, insurgency is considered to be one of the major internal security threats to India. Political motivations remain one of the significant reasons for the survival of insurgency. The northeastern region of India faces major challenges, like ethnic conflicts, insurgency, cross-border infiltration, and economic marginalization. While the regional insurgencies have declined, that is largely due to security operations and not mainly a result of policy shifts. As per the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the issues in Arunachal Pradesh arise from the instability in neighboring states, especially in the Tirap, Changlang, and Longding (TCL) districts along the Indo-Myanmar border. For the militants operating from the Sagaing region in Myanmar, these areas serve as a transit route for them. In Assam, insurgency-related fatalities witnessed an upward trend in 2023 when compared to the previous year. The ethnic clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities, which erupted in May 2023 in Churachandpur district and flared across Manipur, resulted in more than 180 insurgency-related fatalities. As per MHA's Northeast division, major banned organizations in the Northeastern states under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, include the United Liberation Front of Assam, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, the Kamtapur Liberation Organization, etc. These groups in Assam have been officially listed as terrorist organizations by the Indian government. Similarly in Manipur, the People's Liberation Army and its political wing, the Revolutionary People's Front; the United National Liberation Front and its armed wing, the Manipur People's Army; and the Manipur Liberation Front have been identified as terrorist organizations.

Naxalism poses a significant threat to India's internal security. The underdevelopment, socio-economic disparities, and feelings of marginalisation create an endless cycle of violence. These conditions provide fertile ground for insurgent ideology to thrive. Underdeveloped regions in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh remain plagued by naxalism. The goal of naxalites is to violently overthrow the state and establish a system with some degree of accountability. Districts such as Bastar, Sukma, and Dantewada, where Maoist insurgents, also known as Naxals, conduct violent activities, are sheltered by dense forests. Although ongoing counterinsurgency operations strive to combat this challenge, they have considerably affected the tribal population, leading to increased fatigue among them. The failure of the trickle-down model of economic growth has left the remote tribal society deprived of their socio-economic rights and access to resources. Their continued exploitation jeopardises human security, fostering a deep sense of alienation and creating a vacuum often filled by insurgents. Addressing the challenge of insurgency solely through a security lens neglects the social security factors and root causes that require attention.

Regrettably, this instability is likely to endure for a prolonged period. India's feudal bureaucracy, entrenched in hierarchical structures and a colonial legacy, is deeply ingrained in the subconscious of the populace. This perpetuates a mindset of feudal subjugation, where citizens are treated merely as subjects rather than as individuals. Systematic exploitation, where muscle and money remain fundamental to projecting power, has fostered a pervasive sense of discontent among the people. The aspirations and struggles of the citizens, perceived through the lens of files, reports, and statistics, create a chasm that complicates the understanding of their daily woes and grievances. It is crucial to recognise the role of prevailing injustices, sustained by arrogance and insularity, which may be addressed through remedial measures involving an empathetic approach and accountability to tackle these issues.

India’s multifaceted security challenges, ranging from instability in the neighboring countries, narco-terrorism, and organized crime to internal governance framework inefficiencies, require an approach that integrates defensive measures with socio-economic development initiatives. Strengthening border infrastructure, border management, development of border areas and impoverished regions with social reforms and increasing regional cooperation with the neighboring countries are vital to combat these evolving challenges. Leveraging technology to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, busting unholy alliances, and protecting civilian-military infrastructure from cyberattacks is essential. It is crucial to remain vigilant about emerging disruptive technologies like drones to mitigate the associated risks. Strengthening intelligence-sharing mechanisms and information-sharing systems for improved analysis of the situation can provide valuable insights. Full-body truck scanners are effective in preventing the illegal inflow and outflow of narcotics, contraband, terrorism, and organised crime. They are also crucial for enhancing border security. The war on drugs has a long way to go. As a nation, it is essential for us to rethink and re-examine this issue from a humanitarian, understanding, and compassionate perspective.

Disclaimer: This paper is the author's individual scholastic contribution and does not necessarily reflect the organization's viewpoint.