>I really have a harder time believing it's more than opportunistic sabre-rattling. For one, India's leadership felt miffed that Musharraf was so readily embraced by the US at the outset. Certainly, the attack on Parliament demanded an aggressive response, and emulating more Israel than the US, India's leadership started making demands of 'shut up & deliver' to Musharraf, akin to Sharon's treatment of Arafat - despite the fact that they are entirely different animals.>
You discount the Kargill incident of two years ago. It was a hot war, only that Pakistan and Musharraf pretended that it was the Mujahideen (and not Pakistan) that was involved. This was the first TV war in India. The media blew up the Kargill incident in a big way (or in the typical fashion of US media when US goes to war). The Indian Generals were on TV providing continuous updates on the situation. Since Kargill, the public opinion has got more united against Pakistan.
Then their was the Indian Airlines hijacking, as a result of which the Jaish commander was released from an Indian jails, where he was being held for kidnapping and murder of US and British tourists in India. The hijacked plane was flown from India to Pakistan to Kandahar. The hijackers and the released prisoners roam freely in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And so do the perpetrators of the bombing of the Indian Stock market building in Mumbai.
Then the recent attacks on Srinagar and Indian Parliament buildings.
Believe me, Indians have a huge tolerance for terrorism and violence against innocents (in legitimate and illegitimate causes). Kashmir hardly affects ordinary Indians. The population of Kashmir is tiny. And anyway the only Muslim dominated area in Jammu and Kashmir is the Srinagar valley. And Kashmiri resident rebels have kept their struggle primarily in Kashmir.
The secessionist movements in other Indian states were much more involved. Indian states had the choice of seceding from India until mid-1960s. Tamilnadu nearly seceded in the 1960s over the imposition of Hindi language.
Violent movements have taken place in Punjab, where some Sikhs wanted Khalistan. Violence plagued Punjab for nearly two decades. The rest of India did not feel bothered until Indira Gandhi died at the hands of her Sikh body-guards. And thousands of Sikhs were sacrificed by politicians and mobs, as a result. But Punjab is pretty normal now.
The Gurkhas in Darjeeling had their own violent movement which seems to have been resolved.
Rebels in Nagaland continue their efforts.They bomb a train or two. And cross over to China for terrorist training.
Naxalites (communists) use violence on and off in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
Tamil tigers were trained in Tamilnadu in India for a short time. Then Rajiv Gandhi sent troops to support the Sri Lankan govt. to fight the Tamil Tigers. As a result, Rajiv Gandhi was assasinated on Indian soil by Tamil terrorists. Indians were appalled but have not become particularly anti-tamil.
Assam had a decade long strike to negotiate with the Central Government.
The point is that India can solve disagrement with Kashmiris without Pakistani help. |
