It is hard not to be disgusted at the sheer opportunism of the Pakistani dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf. Ever so hungry for doing a PR job to salvage the image of a Pakistan thriving with jihadi culture, the General telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with one very clear intention---conveying to his Western patrons that his country should not be blamed for the triple bomb blasts in Delhi on October 29 that killed 62 people.

He was certainly not offering any heart felt condolences or commiserating spontaneously (not after two days later) when he spoke to the Prime Minister about the Delhi blasts and the train tragedy in Andhra Pradesh in which over 100 passengers were killed.

Reading his part of the conversation and comments at a Press conference on the same day and also the statement of his foreign ministry spokeswoman, the Pakistani intentions become clear. In effect, what Musharraf and his mandarins have told India is simply this: ‘Don’t drag our name into this bomb blast without giving us foolproof evidence of our involvement.’

This could be the Pakistani way of saying that if India does not stop accusing Musharraf for not doing enough to dismantle its terror infrastructure, the on-gong ‘peace process’ would be put on hold; may be given up. That possibility would have looked more certain had PoK not been devastated by an earthquake that left little choice for Pakistan but to cooperate with India if only to provide a helping hand to PoK residents.

After agreeing—with great reluctance--to open five points along the Line of control (LoC) to facilitate relief and rehabilitation the chances of Pakistan calling off the peace process may have receded for the time being.

Indeed, it is India that should be contemplating going slow on the peace process, given the persistent Pakistani refusal to shut down its terror machine. New Delhi may be obliged to take a different view for fear of annoying the international community, but the country’s faith in the peace process has been shaken after the Delhi blasts. Today, more people in this country wonder how long India will allow the Pakistanis to get away, literally, with murder most foul.

The magnitude and the sophistication used in triggering the blasts in Paharganj and Sarojini Nagar markets and a DTC bus in Delhi bear the footmarks of a group like the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which, Musharraf says he has banned, but which continues to function unhindered in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under different names. In fact, none of the ‘banned’ militant groups in Pakistan has ceased operations against India. If Musharraf does not believe it he should read what his own media writes.

It is also immaterial whether Islami Inqilab Mahaz that claimed responsibility for the Delhi blasts is little known or not known. After 9/11, most ‘well-known’ terrorist groups have been ‘banned’ and they have become a little cautious in owning the responsibility for their beastly acts. They do, however, rush to the telephone whenever they kill soldiers or attack military targets. This does not mean they have changed their spots and abandoned the idea of taking innocent lives.

In recent times, the Pakistan-based militants operating in India, however, have been finding it difficult to launch attacks on ‘symbols or power’ as they did on two occasions in the past—Red Fort and Parliament, both in Delhi. But having been motivated by their Pakistani masters to resort to killings in India at any rate, the militant groups have been targeting civilians and keeping mum about it.

MOTIVATION
The Pakistani ruler would not have thought of telephoning New Delhi had it not become evident to him after the July London blasts that gone are the days when the West—Washington and London in particular—dismissed the Indian allegations of a Pakistani hand behind most bomb attacks on civilians.

After the London blasts, the British authorities did not hesitate to mention that there was a Pakistani link to the tragedy. That theme has gained much ground since then as the West has now become very aware of the way Pakistani seminaries and jihadi groups, not to mention the so-called rogue elements in the ISI, motivate young and impressionable minds to go on suicide missions that target innocent civilians.

There were protesting noises from Islamabad when London spoke of a Pakistani link to the terror attacks but nobody took them seriously. Pakistan is also fond of demanding ‘evidence’ and ‘proof’ of its involvement in terrorist attacks, presumably expecting the accusers to produce hand written letters from terrorists that they are (a) Pakistanis and (b) they were carrying out terrorist attacks. Musharraf tried to pass the blame entirely on the UK and said that the youth of Pakistani origin who carried out the suicide bombings in London were born and brought up in the UK. Yet, he failed to persuade anyone in the UK that his country had no role in the ghastly London attacks.

When Pakistan demands India to first produce ‘evidence’ of Pakistani involvement before mentioning the country as the source of supplying terrorists it only betrays its guilt. It is also difficult to understand what Pakistan means when it tells India to ‘share’ its findings into terrorist attacks before Islamabad swings into action.

Pakistan will, of course, never accept any amount of proof or evidence that goes against it, provided either by India or any other country or organisation. Instead, it will only devise more and more devious ways of dodging accusations and when driven to corner throw tantrums and reply with absurd counter charges like once insisting that India hand over L. K. Advani before Pakistan could entertain the Indian plea for handing over any of the 20 ‘most wanted’ Indian nationals, including Dawood Ibrahim, living in Pakistan.

Islamabad may not think that Dawood Ibrahim is the devil that India portrays him to be, but what about the Interpol? How does he manage to get shelter and protection in Pakistan? If he is not in Pakistan there can be absolutely no doubt that he has left the country with a fake passport issued by Islamabad.

The way Pakistan has handled the Indian request for handing over this Mumbai don and the lax manner in which it has tried to close down the jihadi training camps cannot but show Pakistan in poor light. Only George Bush thinks Pakistan is serious about fighting terrorism; not the rest of the US, particularly its media. And India has many, many more reasons not to believe that.


Courtesy : Syndicate Features

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