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| Need to allay Indian fears on possible misuse of US weapons by Pak troops | | |
Munish Gupta
Jammu,October 30:-The US Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton,has talked tough in one breath and spoke softly in another during her current three-day visit to Pakistan.Reports reaching here from across the border said that Clinton had lost her cool when she was reminded that there were no Al Qaeda bases in Pakistan.She conveyed to the Pakistan Government a meassge,that is pregnant with anger and threat.She said that Pakistan has been a "safe haven" for the Al Qaeda.
She has not stopped here.She said "I find it hard to believe that nobody in" Pakistan establishment "knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to."Clinton had visualised that there were differences between the US \ Government and the establishment in Pakistan besides the Pak Army and the opposition,especially on the Kerry-Lugar Aid Bill under which Pakistan is set to receive 7.5 billion dollars as nonmilitary assistance.In order to keep the Pakistani opposition,the establishment and the Army in good humour Clinton softened her earlier tone and conveyed to everybody in Pakistan that the US was keen "to discuss and air the differences as friends and partners and not magnify them." This indicates that the American Government treats Pakistan's support for the ongoing war against terror not only important but invaluable.
And the story goes that there is no end to the American military and non-military aid to Pakistan.The latest figures indicate that the US Government is committed to provide 85 million dollars for combating poverty,125 million dollars for improving electricity supply and 104 million dollars for law enforcement and border security.This is not part of the war weaponary that the US Government has decided to send to the Pakistani troops engaged in fighting the Talibans in the Swat valley and in Waziristan.Well to begin with India need not protest against the increased military aid to Pakistan when the help was being made available simply for fighting the terrorists.But there is no gurantee that these very weapons would not be shifted to the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir for fighting the Indian troops.
The super powers have not been able to provide any such gurantee.Did the erstwhile Soviet union provide any gurantee to India that light and heavy military hardware that the soviet troops left behind before vacating Afghanistan in mid 80's will not fall in the hands of the Pak Army and militants ?No such gurantee even when Moscow had the friendliest relations with Delhi.Did such a gurantee was available when the American Government aided Pakistan for assisting the Afghan Mujahideens in fighting against the Soviet troops ? No gurantee.These very weapons were later found in the hands of militants who kicked up violence in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989.
.Even the US secretary of State,Hillary Clinton,has been candid when she was r ecently asked whether there was any gurantee that Pakistani troops will not use the American arms,meant for fighting the terrorists,against India Clinton had not sounded optimistic because she felt that since these weapons were mobile they could be shifted from one side to the other.
This way India is faced with between the devil and the deep sea situation.On one hand it has to back Pakistan in its fight against the Talibans and the Al Qaeda on the other it has to guard itself against use of the American weapons against the Indian by the militants in Jammu and Kashmir and other states.In the context of growing fears on misuse of the American weapons by Pakistan Washington is required to allay such fears so that the improving Indo-US ties suffered no setback.Also,in case the US is very keen to see and end to the menace of terrorism it has to seek assistance from India too as during the last 30 years the Indian establishment has remained engaged in fighting terrorists not only in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab but in other areas of the country too.
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