Border management is an important domain of our National Security, not only from the strategic point of view but from the economic too. Which is, right from keeping a strict vigil on the anti-national elements, the terror module, smugglers, drug peddlers and human traffickers to moving on to the problem of refugees and illegal migration, that too amidst varied terrains changing contours from time to time.
1. A combination of tactics need to be used in varying degrees to evolve an equilibrium that may sustain in a multi-agency, multi-mode environment. Balancing various vectors is indeed a challenging task. Moreover, through the digital world and social media, the operatives no longer need to cross the border. They can brainwash the people within and mutate through them. With various sub-cultural dissonances between various agencies that have developed over a period of time, and given the lack of effective coordination mechanism as well as a non-cohesive data base, the synergetic outcome is persistently sub optimal. The ‘silos’ culture hampers the desirable governance of the borders.
2. Maintaining friendly borders with countries like Bangladesh, the Indian agencies may now be required to change their modus operandi. The demographic commonality, socio cultural semblance, a need for economic synergy along with security issues, a need for cooperation during crises situations – all together call for a shift from the restrictive mode to that of the facilitating mode. Illegal trade causes a huge loss to the economy. The present condition of ‘opportunity loss’ has to be converted into a win-win situation through well managed land posts between the countries. While the integrated check posts facilitate the win-win situation, the collaborative format inter-se all the agencies needs to be evolved as intrinsically as we have succeeded in evolving at the airports. Even across the land border, the security agencies need to think in terms of common data base and joint security drills. Economic synergy between the nations should be given due priority without compromising their security. For this the security based on numerical strength of the soldiers has to be replaced with advanced technologically integrated systems. Technological foot prints may provide a better as well as an undisputable control. The drive towards non lethality also calls for effective remote surveillance and timely intervention by dedicated teams that are well trained for the job. There is no doubt that oscillation in political environment may create neo-conflicts from time to time, however, the economic as well as cultural interests do act as the leverage factors.
3. The trends across the globe indicate that participation of civic society in border management dynamics is increasingly becoming important. Strategically, direct war is being substituted by proxy war, which hovers around the civic society. Economic synergy too calls for well managed ICPs in a mutually collaborative environment. Migration issues, multipurpose national identity cards, work permits, refugee status and such similar domains can be better handled with the increasing participation of the civic society close to the borders. We then need to optimize the mutual interests of the concerned various stakeholders. Economic, cultural and security forums find their ways to open dialogues and attain higher synergy levels. International norms and legalities too get operationalized through such participative environment. The right impetus to the work culture further enthuses positive perceptions that dissolves all cognitive barriers.
4. The switch over from a restrictive environment to a facilitating mode is not so easy. It needs to be done very intelligently and with gradual adaptation. Pakistan and Bangladesh borders provide a glimpse of various contrasts that we have discussed here-in-before. The Nepal and China borders are also witnessing various changes emanating from proxy control of civic population, economic and cultural dominance through unobtrusive tactics over a period of time. There may not be any direct war, but changing the equations within the civic society through the manipulations of socio-cultural and economic vectors, leads to the desired impact.
5. The intelligence inputs of such a game are entirely different from the security warnings at the micro and semi-macro level. In other words, many such inputs get lost as forces at the cutting edge level are not tuned to scan them successfully. The ‘silos’ effect further prohibits intelligent collaboration of numerically spread uniformed soldiers and not so visible operatives of customs, immigration, enforcement directorate, narcotic control bureau or other such agencies. In context of the border, many still fail to differentiate between ‘border security’ and ‘border management’. Hence, a case for collaborative work culture between various agencies, participation of civic society, facilitating border management for better synergies appear to be the key factors in those times to come.
6. Now, there is an emerging thought process whether we need these borders at all. Can there be borderless integrations where people speak of ‘Roti Beti Ka Rishta’. Can’t there be smart cities across the borders providing for facilitating access on either side. Providing land and water route through the country can bring economic costs to a low. Bangladesh has provided such avenues to India for the transportation of goods in the North east. There can be endless collaborations in the field of telecom, water resources, power generation etc irrespective of fencing on the boundaries.
7. Amidst various options of control, joint collaborations will provide higher equilibrium options which will generate more win-win situations for both the countries. Whereas data sharing, joint patrolling, digital watch on the borders through integrated intelligent systems may help control prohibited movements, terror modules and illegal migrations, regular trade may generate economic synergy for both the countries with the series of multiplier effects. Lack of a proper approach channelizes the economic margins into the illegal domains that create a parallel economy. However, much depends on the political relationships and mature diplomacy levels. Any sono-cultural impediments tool have to be mitigated through such handlers and through right perception management.
8. Since such an approach hovers much beyond the fencing on the border or linear policing alongside the fence, there is also a case for making the federal governments partners in the foreign policy issues so as to facilitate various activities where role of federal state and the local population are crucial for the sustainability of such progressive options.
9. Theoretically, it seems relevant as well as feasible to go in for such options, but its implementation to the point of optimality may see many oscillations. Quite some waters would have flown below the bridge before the systems mature. Actually, there may even be adverse impacts in the short run. There may also be trade offs. One needs to tread carefully between the BOPs – i.e. balance of power VS the balance of payment.
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*Writer is ADG BSF. He belongs to IPS-84 batch. These views are personal.
