Meeting India's concerns

INDIA'S LONG, LONELY battle against fundamentalist terrorism on its soil may be about to be joined, even if indirectly and remotely, by the global coalition as the U.S expands its campaign to include terrorism in its multifarious forms. The American State Department's action in designating the Pakistan-based militant outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad as terrorist organisations - and in effect banning them - will be welcomed in India as the first positive signal that New Delhi's concerns are being recognised and acknowledged. The action, followed up within hours by Britain, coincides with the Bush administration's significant decision to broaden its campaign and expand the terror list to include groups beyond those with links to Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network. The U.S can now seize the assets of these groups and impose other stringent financial sanctions, already imposed against Osama and his group to choke the flow of money. Included in the list are outfits as far apart as the Hamas and the Hizbolla in the Middle East, ETA, the Basque separatist group in Spain, and three Colombian groups operating in the civil war torn South American nation.

The decision to widen the campaign, not totally unexpected or non-controversial, follows criticism that Washington has two standards when it comes to targeting terrorism. The initial moves by Washington after the September 11 attacks did create the impression that its sights were too narrowly focussed on Osama bin Laden and his cadre, to the exclusion of terrorist groups operating elsewhere. New Delhi, which responded by unilaterally offering all assistance to the U.S., found itself on the sidelines as Washington put together a global coalition and placed Pakistan on the frontline. India made no secret of its dismay that Pakistan should form part of the anti-terror coalition despite its record of encouraging cross-border terrorism in Kashmir. Within three weeks of that catastrophic strike against the U.S, Pakistan-based militants launched a murderous attack on the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature in Srinagar in which innocent people were killed. The massacre, for which the Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility, shocked the world and evoked words of sympathy, but India's appeal that the global focus include the groups operating in Kashmir from bases in Pakistan went unheeded. The U.S, which said it was placing the JeM under ``close'' watch, and its allies and friends had their own priorities.

The American decision to broaden the anti-terror campaign, encompassing the action concerning the LeT and the JeM, may end this abnormal situation. The State Department's decision will have a dampening effect on the two terrorist groupings based in Pakistan. Besides having their assets impounded, anyone suspected of providing aid or financial services to them can be targeted. Both groups have their patrons in Pakistan who have openly raised funds and solicited donations for them. With their designation as terrorist groups by the State Department, the Pakistan Government will come under enormous pressure to crack down on their fund- raising activities, effectively neutralising them. Other groups have rechristened and reincarnated themselves, apparently with official backing. But with the U.S-led coalition significantly stepping up its campaign, this ploy may prove less effective in the future. For its part, New Delhi, which has welcomed the U.S. action, must continue to keep its vigil, in the realisation that fighting cross-border terrorism is primarily its own battle, which it has to carry on with restraint, without distracting talk of untenable ideas like hot pursuit. And quite apart from terrorism the political issue with Pakistan and the aspirations of the people in Kashmir need also to be addressed.

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Section  : Opinion
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