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

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42685)	5/23/2002 6:27:02 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

Musharraf’s decision is right Mr A B Vajpayee said on May 22 that the “time for a decisive battle” had come and, he added, “India will win it”. India’s military readiness is apparent on all fronts. It has already downgraded diplomatic relations with Pakistan, making de-escalation through diplomatic channels difficult. On the Pakistan side, while we are prepared for any contingency, General Pervez Musharraf has again made it plain that Pakistan will not allow any individual or group to wage jehad from its soil against any other country in the world, including India. This is a reiteration of the commitment he gave to the international community in his January 12 speech and is in keeping with his post-9/11 decision to actively fight against global terrorism. But General Musharraf has also reiterated Pakistan’s position that it will continue supporting the Kashmiri cause politically, diplomatically and morally. We fully support General Musharraf’s stand on various counts. Curbing groups bent on unleashing violence in South Asia is clearly in Pakistan’s interest. The country has had to put up with three incidents of terrorism since the beginning of this year. First, a group of terrorists kidnapped and killed a US reporter Daniel Pearl. Then a church in Islamabad was attacked, in which five people were killed and an equal number injured. Recently, a suicide bomber killed 11 Frenchmen working on a crucial defence project for the Pakistan navy. All these incidents were clearly aimed at sabotaging Pakistan’s efforts at improving its international image, putting its economy back on the rails and generally reverting to the ideals of the founding father who looked at Pakistan as a modern, progressive and moderate state. There is an important aspect to note here, which Indian propaganda seems to ignore but which needs to be highlighted by Pakistan for that very reason. Beginning with the terrorist attack on the assembly in Kashmir, then the attack on the Indian parliament and now the massacre in Jammu, Pakistan has consistently condemned these acts. It has offered India joint inquiries into the incidents provided India is ready to share the evidence. But India has refused to do so. Instead, New Delhi has deemed fit to use these incidents in “propitious” circumstances to mount pressure on Pakistan and get it to accept culpability of what it calls “cross border terrorism” with a view to stopping the infiltration of militants across the LoC. Cleverly, it is trying to mix the issue of terrorism with the issue of the right to self-determination: while the former is a crime, the latter is an inalienable right. But the propaganda has worked because militant groups in the past have used Pakistani soil to infiltrate across the LoC and mount attacks on Indian occupation forces in Kashmir. This is what General Musharraf says he will not now tolerate and this is the commitment he has reiterated again. His policy can only be lauded. By separating terrorism from the right to self-determination, and by extending Pakistan’s support to that right, General Musharraf has sent out a clear signal. The policy can be spelled out as follows: we do not want war, but we are not afraid to fight if it is thrust upon us; we condemn terrorism and will do everything to put it down, but we do not accept that the issue of terrorism can be used to put down the Kashmiris’ demand for self-determination. In fact, what is problematic now is not what Pakistan can do, but what the international community can do to get India to back down. The problem with India’s strategy is that it may well have got itself into a commitment trap. Having gone for a slow build-up, and by beating the war drums, it has psyched up the nation. This is the paradox of projecting commitment. At what point will it get down the escalation ladder? In other words, what can Pakistan do which India can sell its domestic constituency and make the basis for its force de-escalation? That is the dangerous part of this kind of build-up. This is also where the issue of whether Pakistan has done enough to avoid war becomes largely irrelevant, especially if there is no monitoring mechanism on the ground to test India’s propaganda against Pakistan’s intentions. We have earlier recommended the creation of a demilitarised zone. Such a step would give a jittery government in New Delhi the face-saver to extricate itself and the region from the situation honourably. As for Pakistan, once it has proved to everyone that jehad is strictly no-no, it can turn the “moral, political and diplomatic” heat on India on the Kashmir issue. Fortunately, all hope of avoiding war may not be lost. Yesterday, Mr Vajpayee responded positively to General Musharraf’s promise of stamping out all manner of terrorism, including cross border jehad. Mr Vajpayee said that the “clouds were clear but that lightning could still strike”. His metaphor meant that while he hoped General Musharraf’s deeds would match his words, he would wait for the evidence before arriving at any decision about war or peace. That is fair enough.