Mumbai massacre

By N. ELAHI

Who attacked Mumbai's hotels is still a guess work. Divergent views are being doled out. Western media jumped to see imprints of Al-Qaeda's modus operandi. Indian newspapers started hitting at their favourite punching bag; the Islamists. Some of them blamed the less known, Deccan Mujahedeen. The Indian PM as usual saw foreign hand probably even before the first assailant was shot down.

Media harped on invalidated information that assailants were looking for Brits and American guests in the hotel. It proved wrong as one only out of 174 killed was a British. Undeterred Indian high ups dished out yet another preposterous statement that assailants were of Pakistan origin British citizens. In this entire muddle the truth got lost. Was it intentional? Seems that in this sundering world, the question 'who did it' is not important; but whom to incriminate is more important. All above knee-jerk reactions are reflective of pre-determined minds armed with set agendas. India these days very much likes to see itself a target of Islamists, even Al-Qaeda, seeking to position itself with the West.

Making profit out of the tragedy might serve long-term interests, though temporarily, but it kills the truth and betrays the killed. Would India let an independent enquiry committee look deep into the incident? It is anybody's guess. If someone is serious to ascertain what really happened in Mumbai on that fateful day ought to keep in mind that over two dozen insurgencies of varying intensities are simmering in India. India has created a security cauldron for itself.

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