US/Pak responsible for Taliban

[Guest guest]

Title: Hunt down all terrorists

Author: P. M. Kamath

Publication: Free Press Journal

Oct. 19, 2001

 

Though India was first to have offered help to the US, it is in the

fitness of

things that the US should use

Pakistan rather than India in its immediate aim of bringing to books

terrorists involved in the attacks against

them. Geopolitical location, access to Taliban and ability to share

intelligence on Osama bin Laden- all favour

Pakistan rather than India.

 

But these attacks started on Sunday (October 7) have their

immediate and

long-term effects on India's

problems with Pakistan- promoted cross-border terrorism. Even after

the

bombings started, Pakistan President,

Musharraf tried to insulate his terrorism in Kashmir as having

nothing to do

with Afghanistan. As a matter of

fact, he has set up terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. This

gives him

the benefit of plausible deniability.

 

Some of the immediate positive effects on India's terrorism-

related security

threats could be anticipated.

First, the US attacks might lead to a replacement of Taliban

government in

Afghanistan. A broad-based

government in Afghanistan would result in closing down all Pakistan-

promoted

terrorist camps in that country.

This should help India in choking down the foreign sources of

terrorism; in

turn, helping to control disgruntled

elements in Kashmir valley and bringing them into mainstream.

 

Second, if India still thinks that Pakistan has continued their

training camps

in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir

(POK) territory, India will be justified in conducting surgical

strikes at

those camps. The US strikes have

created much-needed international environment to support India. It

must be

made clear to the world opinion

that an attack against POK territory is not a violation of

Pakistan's

territorial integrity as the area belongs to

Jammu & Kashmir, which had joined India.

 

Third, the crisis should help India to inject some vital strength

into its

spine. If Musharraf could place a

staunch supporter of Taliban in Islamic Pakistan, secular India can

also

discipline Shahi Imam of Jumma Masjid

in Delhi for his advocacy of support to Taliban in India. There are

enough

provisions in Indian law permitting

such action.

 

However, there are also possibilities of immediate negative effects

on the

security of Indian polity and society.

As a result of Indian extension of unsolicited public support to

the US, and

Taliban's threat to attack any one

who supports the US, the Jihadi forces still might attack targets

in India.

One should remember that attack on

the Legislative Assembly building of Jammu & Kashmir (J & K) cannot

merely be

considered as an act by

desperate forces against democracy, but it is a warning shot

against India for

its support to the US. This calls

for extra vigilance by the Indian external security forces as well

as forces

dealing with internal security.

 

What are the long-term effects of the US attack on Afghanistan on

India? Going

by the proclamations of

intentions of the US policy makers and analysis of their

perceptions, it can

be reasonably surmised that the US

and the West will take steps to curb finances of the terrorist

outfits

operating in J & K. It is a fact that all

these terrorist outfits are interconnected and grow like amoeba. In

their

current thinking regarding long-term

threat from China and perception of building closer linkages with

India, the

US cannot ignore security concerns

of India. Their economic approach to India as a growing market for

the US

goods also makes them to side with

India.

 

But there could be long-term negative security implications for

India.

Pakistan's public cooperation with the US,

spells dangers for Musharraf personally and for Pakistan

collectively. While

some of the prominent Islamic

states like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt have joined the global

efforts to

combat terrorism, it is only Pakistan

that is directly and actively involved in the US war.

 

Pakistan by all accounts, has joined in it under duress. The US has

worries

about Pakistani nuclear weapons

eventually falling in the hands of Islamic terrorists. It is

reported that

President Bush did not even give time for

Musharraf to think. If he had demurred, it would have been

construed as that

he is not joining against the

global war on terrorism. Bush had any way made it clear that those

who are not

with them are with the

terrorists. Was there a US threat to Pakistan's nuclear assets?

 

But now that he has joined the US-led coalition against terrorism,

as the war

lingers on, he is bound to face a

threat to his regime from Islamic extremists, who according to him

are only 15

percent of the population. But

he has already called for a quick end of the military attack. How

are the

forty percent extremely religious

minded personnel within the armed forces going to react? The report

is that he

has already reshuffled some

officers in his pack. Yet threat is real for Musharraf's regime. The

pro-Taliban forces have already come on the

streets.

 

If he goes, India will not shed tears. But India will find either a

Talibanised Pakistan or a Pakistan in civil strife.

Both these options pose an extremely dangerous situation on our

border.

 

The US and Pakistan share a fifty-fifty percent responsibility for

the birth

of Taliban and for the entire Afghan

situation of today. If Pakistan also goes the same way, the US

alone will be

responsible for it, unless the US

also works simultaneously to secularise Pakistani polity and

society.