Posted on 12/15/2008 7:05:48 AM PST by maquiladora
India has sent out a tough wish-list to Pakistan through the Western interlocutors – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US Senator John Kerry – who flew into New Delhi over the weekend that it will not be averse to taking tough military measures, in case Islamabad failed to handover the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to India.
Insiders privy to the discussions Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with Brown and Obama's envoy Kerry that India is clear that Pakistan will have to hand over the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to India, and that the Pakistan government will have to take some verifiable action soon on that.
New Delhi has also conveyed that while it has given a list of over 40 fugitives to Pakistan, Islamabad has continued to deny their presence. It has asked these interlocutors to ensure that Pakistan acts by arresting and handing over the Indians nationals like Dawood Ibrahim, who are there on the list of fugitives.
While the sources did not divulge any timeline by which Pakistan has to comply with it, it is apparent that in case Pakistan does not begin the process soon then India will take recourse to other means, including limited strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) into Pakistan-controlled territory.
During the parleys with the Western interlocutors, India has also maintained that the crux of the problem is the ISI and a section within the Pakistani army that needs to be neutralised if the epicentre of terrorism has to be hit.
South Block insiders say that in case the situation warrants a military action, the assessment is that India will have surgical strikes and special forces operations and the war will be localised, and Pakistan will find it difficult to escalate it or use the nuclear option, faced with a severe coercive diplomacy and the fact that many of the targets are so close to the LoC that it will not be able to use a nuclear device, as in case of reverse wind direction it will affect Pakistani territory. But New Delhi wants to exercise all diplomatic options before using the military options.
Even though the government has publicly maintained that it may not use military option, the seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that in the middle of the Christmas holiday season a flurry of Western visitors have visited the sub-continent, trying to explore a diplomatic solution to the nuclear armed neighbours. Besides, a nervous Islamabad has resorted to diversionary tactics including a hoax call attributed to Pranab Mukherjee threatening military action, and then alleged violation of the LoC by the Indian Air Force.
While Pakistan has taken cosmetic measures to shut offices of LeT and its affiliated organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, reports appearing in the media suggest that millions of dollars have already been withdrawn from the accounts that have been frozen. And even though their leaders have been put under house arrests, no charges have been clamped and they are free to give media interviews and interact with their cadres.
Its initial reaction has been a rehash of its earlier attempts to fool the international community. However, the only difference this time is that the resolve of India and the international community is much stronger, and if the Zardari regime fails to act, punitive action will follow.
If you f with the tiger you get the claws. I think. However, I was just wondering to myself yesterday whether India intends to respond, or if this thing is being allowed to cool.
Interesting if true.
The problem with punitive action is India has a lot more to lose than Pakistan. Pakistan seems to be one giant 5th century dung hole and they don’t have much to lose. India has a lot of foreign investment that would be scared away by a big war or ongoing major terrorist attacks.
My friend tried to walk out into the street at election time, and he was accosted by two men, who said to him, “Lets go and vote”. My friend replied that he was not registered, and the two men grabbed him by the arm and said
“Lets go and get registered.” My friend said he did not have his national identity card with him, so they let him go. The party who wins seeks reprisals against those who voted for the other party, so my friend does not wish to vote. In Pakistan, it is better to leave politics alone. That can kill you.
Cows and goats are slaughtered on the streets right in front of the houses,on Eid, and the streets run with red blood in the pot holes. My friend, who is Pakistani,wishes the USA would take pity and make Pakistan the 51st state, but what a sad dream. He would like to flee corruption somehow. That is his dream.
You are correct. Thanks
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