Terrorists provoking Indo-Pak war
Photo: AFP
Former Pakistan Foreign Secretary Najmuddin A Shaikh has written a clear and candid analysis of the Mumbai attacks in Lahore's Daily Times. He is absolutely right when he says: "Let us be clear however that we do have a problem of uncontrolled and uncontrollable forces in Pakistan that are intent on sabotaging any efforts at Indo-Pak reconciliation. Whether or not the Indians provide us with evidence, we should initiate inquiries ourselves. Regardless of the nationality of the attackers, the Indo-Pak process has been set back. Hardliners in India will be encouraged, ignoring India's own long-term interests to exploit Pakistan's many vulnerabilities. Both countries have lost." It is clear that by choosing Mumbai as their target, the extremists are trying to achieve three things: 1) To provoke a backlash by Hindu majority against India's Muslim minority. Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharastra, the base of Hindu-extremist BJP; 2) To threaten India's economic prospects as Mumbai is India's financial capital; 3) To provoke a war between India and Pakistan. The first two are obvious and India alone can take care of them. But the third issue is far more challenging as it calls for cooperation between the two countries who are known for their mutual hostilities. Although the extremists elements like Laskar-e-Tayeba (LeT), al-Qaeda and the Taliban are non-state actors, their very presence in Pakistan makes the country vulnerable. By attacking India, these terrorists are hoping that India will respond in kind and strike against Pakistan, triggering an all-out war between the two countries. The extremists see their salvation in the total destruction of both countries. They think the destruction of Pakistan and India will pave their way to establish a pure Islamic state of their imagination. Moreover, a war between India and Pakistan will take all attention away from Pakistan's borders with Afghanistan, allowing the Taliban to overthrow the American-backed Karzai government in Afghanistan. Assorted Islamist groups think that they will emerge dominant after a cataclysmic war between India and Pakistan. As such, India should be careful not to put too much pressure on the Pakistan government. Wisely, the Indian government has not accused the Zardari government of any collusion with the terrorists. In their own interests, both India and Pakistan should cooperate to track down the extremists. All bets are off if terrorists could mount another attack on India. A joint anti-terrorist body should investigate the Mumbai attacks and suggest remedies for both countries.
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