South Asia Expert warns
Pakistan's role in Kashmir terrorism too evident: US expert
Vasantha Arora (IANS)
Washington, May 22
Pakistan's role in the game of "mischief-making in Kashmir" is there for all to see and the world will no longer be convinced that Islamabad does not support terrorists, says the chief of a leading think tank.
Michael Krepon, the founding president of the Henry L Stimson Centre who has just returned from a trip to India that included a four-day stay in Kashmir, was talking to reporters here Tuesday on his assessment of the situation in the subcontinent.
"There exists an infrastructure of camps, facilities and training grounds for these extremists on the Pakistan side of the border which is also visible. People on the Indian side have pictures which are easy to obtain," he said.
Krepon, a South Asia expert, said Pakistan should take steps to demonstrate its serious commitment to abjure aiding and abetting militants from across the border, because it can no longer make its case convincing others of its innocence.
The possibility of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan is very real and very disturbing, he said. They have a million men deployed along their border and tensions are running high after a series of attacks that India blamed on Pakistan-based Kashmiri terrorists.
Provoked by the latest terrorist attack May 14 on an army camp in Jammu -- in which 32 Indians died -- New Delhi is now determined to punish its adversary by going the whole hog after the breeding grounds of terrorism, Krepon said.
"It will not respect the Line of Control (LoC) and hence this will become a two-way street in the event of a war," he added.
He said in the absence of very high-level steps by the Bush administration, the possibility of a war in South Asia is very high. The lack of these steps was perhaps due to the administration's preoccupation with the crisis in the Middle East.
The US also knows only too well that extremist elements are not just out to provoke a war between India and Pakistan, but also resent the presence of US troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He felt the international community, especially the US, should take immediate steps to avert a war by "talking face to face with the top leaders of India and Pakistan."
It should be above the secretary of state levels as "it is too late in the day now for this level and phone calls are not sufficient to call off war efforts, " he said referring to Colin Powell's telephone diplomacy.
Asked what steps the Bush administration should take to avert a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, Krepon said it should take steps to lessen violence in the region, and it should come up with policy initiatives to break the circle of crisis that has aggravated the situation in South Asia.
Krepon, who met several top officials in India and Kashmir, said in the past it was Pakistan that dealt the first blow, but this time India was fully prepared to strike first.
"Actually Pakistan has already delivered by repeated sets of terrorist acts. If a war breaks out, it would have devastating consequences for people of both countries."
India will tread a difficult line for it is determined to punish its adversary. What really matters to India is the infrastructure -- communications, logistical, intelligence and material support to militants who are out to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
He also referred to the assassination of Abdul Ghani Lone, a Kashmiri political leader, as another indication of extreme elements out to foment trouble.
"There is a pressing need for an end to terrorism, a lowering of tension and then dialogue. The US has a lot of stake in this because any war in South Asia could disrupt its war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Krepon said. |
