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India-Pakistan, Terrorism and the White House
by Saberi Roy
2008-12-09 09:07:12 |
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It happens all over again. A sense of déjà vu, a sense of pattern. The threats, the bombs, the deaths and the rage. Terror attacks in Indian cities are now common and the Indian government is once again shaken, awake and shifts blame to Pakistan and Pakistan in turn shifts blame to India. The tensions simmer, boil and finally the nuclear issue crops up again and the US Secretary of State rushes to South Asia to ease the ‘tension’ and to handle the ‘sensitivity of the situation’ and then finally…it’s a picture of all smiles.
After the Mumbai attacks in November, the pressure is on the Indian government to take suitable measures for national protection and to provide protection to all its citizens otherwise it would be a political and strategic failure. Pakistan in turn will have to ensure that all its borders are wiped clean of terrorist training camps and also cooperate with India to arrest all terrorists responsible.
Thus Pakistan’s counterterrorism policy will have to be a direct one with a crackdown on terrorists and India’s policy will have to be a defensive one with stronger protection around its borders, and increased security arrangements for its citizens. Both India and Pakistan have the responsibility to monitor and uproot terrorism and giving credence and importance to India’s requirements for counterterrorism, the US has also extended help to improve India’s counterterrorism capabilities. India’s policy of depending on Pakistan’s counterterrorism activities won’t work and India will have to strengthen its own shield.
India could in this case cooperate with the US and develop improved counterterrorism infrastructural facilities and also revise its terror laws and border control. The torture and killing of several Jews in the Mumbai attacks is another disturbing factor that seems to have drawn the Israeli perspective as well so India could also work closely with Israel. It is also absolutely necessary that India establishes a Department, Ministry or special unit for counterterrorism that could work independently of excessive bureaucratic control of the Home Ministry so that definite actions could be taken fast. India’s responses to all of country’s crises are slow and vague due to excessive bureaucratic complications.
At this time, the focus should not shift from the need for ‘global action against terrorism’ to ‘how the White House is trying to ease South Asian tensions’. The focus has to remain on the need to identify terrorism as a global problem and India will have to boost its protective measures and Pakistan will have to be active and cooperative in defeating terrorism in its own land.
Pakistan is not doing enough to uproot terrorism and the government is even afraid of attacking terrorist camps. In this case, US and UN along with India, Indonesia, Israel and all countries that have been affected by terrorism should decide on a course of action, put pressure on Pakistan or send military troops to destroy terrorist camps along the Indo-Pak and Afghan-Pak borders.
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