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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42002)	12/20/2001 1:33:15 PM
From: Suresh	Respond to of 50167

Hi Ike, very well said.... -Suresh

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42002)	12/20/2001 2:28:19 PM
From: Joe S Pack	Respond to of 50167

Ike, Very well said. I think the present PM on Indian side said that "diplomacy is the first the option not the war". I think some idiots in Pak government are pandering to those extremists and adding fuel to fire with unnecessary rhetoric. Calling for further proof is a waste of time. Both side knew this. They also understand the cost of war and chaos that will ensue. But the present Indian government is not politically very strong and they have to do something if they have to be viewed in a favorable light in the next election and the current corruption and scandals (involving the defense minister) charges are to be swept aside. I hope this Afghan war will not spread further to east and west. -Nat

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42002)	12/20/2001 7:51:46 PM
From: JHP	Respond to of 50167

December 20, 2001 New York Times The Pressure Rises in Pakistan Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has been performing a political high-wire act since Sept. 11 by supporting the war against terrorism while trying to prevent a rebellion at home among Islamic fundamentalists angered by his rejection of the Taliban. He has succeeded thus far, but now faces new dangers created in part by his own tolerance for terrorists before Sept. 11. If he does not deal with these threats quickly and effectively, he may undermine his own rule as well as the American campaign against terrorism. General Musharraf must crack down on terrorist groups operating in his own country. Urgent action is needed after the attack last week on India's Parliament, attributed by India to militant groups in Pakistan. In addition, hundreds of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters have slipped into Pakistan's mountainous northwestern frontier, where there is strong resistance to General Musharraf's embrace of America. Troops loyal to Osama bin Laden clashed with their Pakistani captors yesterday. American officials say that Pakistani authorities have moved in recent weeks to arrest at least some leaders of the two groups linked to the attacks in India, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Both have claimed responsibility for past assaults in India. More needs to be done. India has connected the two groups to the attack on Parliament, which left 14 dead, including the five men who carried it out. The attack seemed intended to kill Indian lawmakers, including Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is now under pressure to retaliate. A reprisal, such as bombing terrorist sites in Pakistan, could lead to war. General Musharraf condemned the attack on Parliament, but his spokesman blithely suggested that it might have been carried out by Indian forces trying to discredit Pakistan. The Pakistan government well knows that Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba are terrorist groups. General Musharraf must not give in to the temptation to see home-grown terrorist groups as somehow more acceptable than those he has been helping to combat in Afghanistan. He faces considerable pressure within Pakistan to deal gingerly with outfits like Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba because they are hostile to India, Pakistan's antagonist. General Musharraf may also find it appealing to go easy on the groups to show he has not entirely parted company with those in Pakistan who remain sympathetic to various forms of Islamic fundamentalism, including the Taliban. Pro-Taliban sentiment is especially strong in the northwest frontier, bordering Afghanistan. General Musharraf is said to have dispatched 5,000 troops to the region, an area that historically has operated with near-autonomy among tribal groups, many of which are allied to the tribes of Afghanistan. He must ensure that these troops pursue terrorists who have fled Afghanistan, possibly including Osama bin Laden. General Musharraf made a bold decision to side with the United States after Sept. 11. In return, Pakistan has been given more than $1 billion in loans and debt relief and is likely to benefit from the influx of aid to reconstruct Afghanistan. But now that General Musharraf has turned Pakistan's foreign policies around, he has to go after the forces at home that want to keep terrorism alive, provoke a war with India and eventually unseat General Musharraf himself and make Pakistan an Islamic fundamentalist state. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company \| Privacy Information

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42002)	12/21/2001 2:52:43 AM
From: SirRealist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Your concerns are understandable but I think war will not happen anytime soon between India & Pakistan. Musharaff cannot turn pro-India during a period of tension over J&K. At best, he can try and ward off attacks outside of the J&K region by bringing the terrorist groups to heel. More than that risks alienating himself from too many... in the near term. India's strong words parallelled Sharon's demand on Palestinians: deliver some heads or face an end. It was shrewd, politically, because it mimicked what the US, GB and Israel were saying, and sending out troops gives the appearance of pending trouble. Clearly, Musharraf was also getting a private earful from the US, which has invested heavily in him. And he surely is wise enough to avoid a war with India. I think your assessment is correct: extremists did not get their chance to kill US soldiers, so they turn to an opponent they think they can beat, hoping to instigate a full war, desperate to prove their ability to beat somebody.. it's a manhood thing among undereducated louts everywhere. And I think the game is transparent to Musharraf, India's leadership, and US leadership. Yet India had to look tough, to remain legitimate to its own people. If the government powers have their act together, they'll trade tough words for public consumption and privately, they'll concoct a strategy to squeeze the extremists from all sides as both governments are threatened by the existence of these groups. The extremists still can't get past Elementary Power 101 class. They are willing pawns, trying to best a single enemy, while creating 10 new stronger enemies quietly conspiring their effective elimination. Any war between the two nations are likely to be skirmishes and mock battles, for the sake of the extremist audience, who will be less likely to see what's sneaking up on them from different angles. At least, that's my opinion, after watching these government leaders for awhile. I hope both countries are spared much pain. -Kevin