Bangladesh, March 29 -- Deadlines often serve a clear political purpose. They create urgency, focus attention, and project confidence. The March 31, 2026 target for ending Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in India does all three. It helps present the anti-Maoist effort as a time-bound national mission rather than a perpetual security challenge.

However, experience in internal security offers a warning: moments that appear to signal success can also invite strategic overreach. While insurgencies may be dismantled relatively quickly, building a stable political order in their place takes far longer. Therefore, whatever the situation on the ground after March 31, the real task will not be to declare victory, but to ensure careful consolidation.

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