US only after Bin Laden not all Terrorism

[Guest guest]

FROM RADHIKA RAMASESHAN AND KAY BENEDICT

 

New Delhi, Sept. 17:

After raising a banner virtually proclaiming "We are all Americans now?for the

first two days after the suicide strikes, the BJP is sounding disenchanted with

the US ostensibly because it is inching closer to Pakistan to trap Osama bin

Laden.

 

The US?reticence on whether it will concede Pakistan's demands, especially

intervention in Kashmir, have unsettled the BJP which initially felt the World

Trade Center and Pentagon strikes were a godsend for Delhi to cement

counter-terrorism ties with Washington.

 

Privately, the BJP talked of forging a broader US-India-Israel axes against "I

slamic terrorism?

 

Reflecting the changed mood in the BJP's 11 Ashoka Road headquarters, party

general secretary Narendra Modi said: "The phenomenon of terrorism is a

challenge to the civilised world and it has to be understood in all its forms

and

manifestations. But unfortunately, the statements issued by the US show its

attitude has narrowed down to just getting Osama bin Laden. If this happens,

the international community will conclude that the US does not understand the

full import of terrorism. An all-out war against terrorism in which the US will

take the lead will have to take the support of all countries which are committed

to humanitarian ideals.?/p>

 

If the BJP is looking sheepish after giving the impression that India and the US

were on the verge of being the strongest allies on terrorism, allies Samata

Party and Janata Dal(U) came out heavily against the Centre for failing to

formulate a strategy to deal with the terrorist strikes?fallout.

 

A senior Samata leader criticised the government for not speaking out loud

against Pakistan, which was trying to extract mileage from the situation instead

of unilaterally offering operational and logistical support to the US.

 

"The government should have clearly told the US that it should tackle

Islamabad. Pakistan and Afghanistan are twin brothers as far as fomenting

terrorism is concerned,?he said.

 

He said it was a "pity?that even after India offered the US help, President

George Bush spoke to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee only after the PMO

persistently followed up with the Oval office. US secretary of state Colin

Powell mentioned foreign minister Jaswant Singh's name four days after the

strikes.

 

The Samata leader said the US was again formulating an "American-centric?

strategy without forging a proper global coalition. "Pakistan and Afghanistan

are the mother of Taliban. Some Taliban terrorists have been pushed into PoK

and Kashmir since September 11,?he claimed.

 

He warned that taking Pakistan's help to track down bin Laden may prove

counterproductive for the US.

 

"We have to be cautious in the context of what Pervez Musharraf said. He is

trying for a trade-off by inviting American intervention in Jammu and Kashmir,?

he said.