news details |
|
|
| India must keep pressure up | | | | Following a tough posturing from India, some response can be seen from Pakistan but needs a long and sustained effort to contain menace of terrorism. On the face of it, Pakistan appears to be cracking down on anti-India terrorists based on its soil. According to media reports, a Lashkar-e-Toiba training camp in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) was raided and around 20 militants arrested. Among those arrested there is Lashkar commander, Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, who is wanted in India for his role in the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks. It has been reported too that restrictions have been imposed on the movements of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. These actions by the Pakistani government appears to have been taken under pressure from the international community. Following the Mumbai attacks, India has demanded dismantling of terror camps in Pakistan and has called on Islamabad to hand over 20 people based in Pakistan who are wanted in India for various terrorist attacks. The US too is said to have stressed to Pakistan that action against anti-India terrorist networks was essential and if Islamabad failed to act Washington would be obliged to do so. The pressure appears to have worked to some extent. While the US government has praised the Pakistani action, India’s response is likely to be far more cautious. After all, India’s experience with these so-called ‘crackdowns’ has been far from positive. In 2002, for instance, General Musharraf made a speech stressing his commitment to fighting terrorism. He went on to ban several terrorist outfits and jailed their leaders. And then within months, the leaders walked free and the banned outfits assumed new names and returned to their old activity. It was business as usual for these terror groups. The ‘crackdown’, the high profile arrests and so on amounted to nothing as far as India was concerned. Will history now repeat itself? After a few arrests, will Pakistan go back to its old ways? If Pakistan is indeed committed to tackling terrorism emanating from its soil, it must eliminate terrorist outfits, root and stem. Simply tinkering with these groups by making a few arrests will not do. Islamabad has said it will not hand over the ‘wanted’ to India. Let’s accept that for now. But it must have them tried in its courts and brought to justice. Besides, acting against individuals alone will not defang these terrorist outfits. They are being nurtured by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). This link between the ISI and terrorists must be severed. The ISI’s infrastructure of terrorism must be destroyed. India expects comprehensive steps to root out terrorism. Anything else is just cosmetic. India must continue its pressure on Pakistan to nail the last terrorist out of its territory. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
