The Hindu : The U.S. should act now

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 16, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

The U.S. should act now

By Kuldip Nayar

The tragedy in Jammu has reaffirmed many things. Cross- border terrorism, which Washington claims has gone down, is not true. Nor is there any let-up in the complicity of the military junta in Pakistan. That the incident should have taken place when the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Christina Rocca, was in New Delhi shows that the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has different yardsticks for measuring terrorism, one for India and the other for America. He does not mind telling her that with all his promises to Washington he does not have to comply with them when it comes to New Delhi.

The timing of the incident in Jammu seems to have been chosen deliberately. When the country is going through a crisis of communal divide, such an incident can only aggravate the situation. It can be a godsend opportunity to those who believe in Hindutva and who are trying to tear asunder the fabric of a pluralistic society of the country. But what does a military dictator care when he is not answerable even to his own people?

Mere condemnation by America is not enough. It has done this before. It has to put pressure on Gen. Musharraf, who may be going along with it on Afghanistan but not on India. The policy of Pakistan's military junta (the Army has practically ruled the country since its foundation) is to fuel hostility against India so as to justify the denial of democratic structure to the Pakistanis. From Gen. Ayub Khan to Gen. Musharraf, Islamabad's intention has been to see if India can be disintegrated into six-seven parts so that a comparatively smaller neighbour can talk to a bigger neighbour on equal terms. But the more is Pakistan's pressure, the greater is the unity in India.

When the forces of both the countries are facing each other eyeball-to-eyeball, anything can lead to a war. The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, has done well to say that no provocation would force India to attack Pakistan. The absence of hostilities is not what the two countries want. They have to ensure that an atmosphere of normality returns, not only on the borders but also between the two countries. America can help but in its effort not to displease Gen. Musharraf, it tends to take a posture which is equidistant from Delhi and Islamabad but not fair or impartial.

At least on the Jammu tragedy, the U.S. State Department should have come out more heavily on the military junta and taken such steps which India would consider non-partisan. Once an American diplomat asked me what could spoil the upswing in India-U.S. relations. My reply was: America could mess them up by tilting towards Pakistan.

Maybe, Gen. Musharraf's suggestion of an independent, impartial inquiry into the Jammu incident should be taken up seriously. This should not become a precedent, nor should it look like an intervention by a third party. But when an incident like the one in Jammu occurs, it is time to call Islamabad's bluff and hold an independent inquiry. My feeling is that it will expose the ISI, its network and the possible involvement of the military junta in Pakistan.

The problem may be to find out an impartial and independent authority. When even the United Nations has got politicised, it is a hazardous job to name an impartial agency. India has had an unfortunate experience when it accepted arbitration on the Rann of Kutch. However, an inquiry is different from mediation or arbitration. New Delhi can see to it that the probe to get the culprits does not become a roving investigation. It should be sharp and quick, even though Islamabad would love to expand the scope.

How fair the investigation will be again depends on America. Its tentacles are too wide to escape anything like an inquiry to unmask the preparators and their motives. What is Washington's attitude? It is riding two horses at the same time. Even Ms. Rocca did not name Pakistan when she said in New Delhi that she would like, on behalf of her Government, to condemn unequivocally the terrorist attack in Jammu. Probably therein lies the rub.

In India, there is justifiable anger. The terrorist attack on Parliament was considered the limit. The troops were stationed on the border, the travel facilities cut off and the High Commissioner from Islamabad was recalled. Obviously, Pakistan did not take India's concern seriously. Gen. Musharraf even made fun of the troops stationed in Rajasthan by saying that if they wanted to roast themselves alive in summer in the desert, it was up to them. He has not yet realised how exasperated and fed up India is over his machinations. The terrorists belonging to the organisations which have their headquarters in Pakistan are still functioning, with ISI assistance. And America is still behaving as if it does not have to call a spade a spade.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

Stories in this Section

An act of terror against India

A realistic move

Gujarati exceptionalism

The mosaic cracks

The U.S. should act now

Heinous act

Better security needed