The Pakistani Government's confused stand is really very immature with numerous flip-flops...on the lines of a comedy show where bad humour evokes no laughter.The government response has made me quite angry that I really don't care whether it was democratically elected or not. Building up War hysteria to divert the attention of it's citizens is not a good idea. It's better to face facts and take action. Actions speak much louder than words. To get well, medicine needs to be taken however bitter it is. It will not hand over any wanted person. It is hedging on banning the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. It is not accepting the Pakistani origin of the terrorists, questioning even Ajmal Amir Kasab’s confessions. The Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar is not under detention. The claim that Dawood Ibrahim is not in Pakistan, insinuations that Hindu terrorists might be involved in Mumbai and demanding evidence before Pakistan will move, despite known facts, reflects profound unwillingness to mend its conduct towards India. In these conditions no meaningful clean-up operation can occur in Pakistan. It's just a matter of luck that one of the terrorists was captured alive.For me the case is quite simple.....Chori karna jurm hai, choron ki madad karna bhi jurm hai...
The following editorial appeared in The Washington Post: Time for Truth
BY NOW, the evidence that the terrorist assault on Mumbai was planned and directed from Pakistan is overwhelming. The lone surviving attacker, a Pakistani national, has signed a statement describing how he was recruited and trained by the Lashkar-i-Taiba group. Intelligence officials say cellphone intercepts show that the attackers were communicating with Lashkar commanders in Pakistan during the attacks. During a visit to Islamabad, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke for the West when he openly blamed Lashkar-i-Taiba for the siege and added that "the time has come for action, and not words," from Pakistan.
Stunningly, however, Pakistan's civilian government is refusing to acknowledge the truth. In an interview with the BBC last week, President Asif Ali Zardari claimed that there is still no proof that the attackers came from his country. "There are disputed positions in the press. . . . I would not jump to a conclusion," he said. Several days earlier, he told Lally Weymouth of Newsweek and The Post that "I don't have any specific information" showing that the terrorists were trained in Pakistan. Under heavy pressure from the Bush administration, Mr. Zardari's government has placed the leader of Lashkar-i-Taiba under a loose "house arrest" and rounded up several dozen of its militants, including the man India has identified as the chief planner of the attacks. This unconvincing sweep looks bad in the light of history: After a Lashkar-sponsored assault on India's Parliament in 2002, the government arrested many of the same people and formally banned the group. Later the suspects were quietly released, and the organization reemerged under the name Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
Stunningly, however, Pakistan's civilian government is refusing to acknowledge the truth. In an interview with the BBC last week, President Asif Ali Zardari claimed that there is still no proof that the attackers came from his country. "There are disputed positions in the press. . . . I would not jump to a conclusion," he said. Several days earlier, he told Lally Weymouth of Newsweek and The Post that "I don't have any specific information" showing that the terrorists were trained in Pakistan. Under heavy pressure from the Bush administration, Mr. Zardari's government has placed the leader of Lashkar-i-Taiba under a loose "house arrest" and rounded up several dozen of its militants, including the man India has identified as the chief planner of the attacks. This unconvincing sweep looks bad in the light of history: After a Lashkar-sponsored assault on India's Parliament in 2002, the government arrested many of the same people and formally banned the group. Later the suspects were quietly released, and the organization reemerged under the name Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
Apologists for Mr. Zardari's civilian and democratically elected government point out that the president's bluster probably covers his lack of authority to crack down on Lashkar-i-Taiba or its allies in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency. Since Mr. Zardari replaced Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a master of duplicitous dealings with Washington, the army has stepped up attacks on Taliban militants in provinces bordering Afghanistan. The sponsors of the Mumbai attack no doubt wanted to undermine that campaign as well as steps toward peace by Pakistan and India.
Yet, if the war on terrorism is to be won, the excuses for Pakistan must end. The incoming administration should quickly act on President-elect Barack Obama's promises to condition aid, especially to the Pakistani military, on fundamental reforms. Officers who support the Taliban or groups such as Lashkar-i-Taiba as a check on India must be purged, once and for all. Mr. Zardari and other civilian leaders should receive strong U.S. support only if they clearly ally themselves with this agenda. The first step is relatively simple: to stop denying the truth.
Yet, if the war on terrorism is to be won, the excuses for Pakistan must end. The incoming administration should quickly act on President-elect Barack Obama's promises to condition aid, especially to the Pakistani military, on fundamental reforms. Officers who support the Taliban or groups such as Lashkar-i-Taiba as a check on India must be purged, once and for all. Mr. Zardari and other civilian leaders should receive strong U.S. support only if they clearly ally themselves with this agenda. The first step is relatively simple: to stop denying the truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment