Is there no threat from India?

by Afshain Afzal

President Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been trying to convince Islamabad that Pakistan should no longer consider India as a primary threat and rather concentrate its energies on fighting terrorism inside the country. Michele Flournoy, US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy in a recent statement on May 27, 2009 said "I would love to see the Indian government and the Pakistan government re-engages in confidence-building measures and discussions about Kashmir and about other areas of difference. She added that such an effort would go a long way to enabling the Pakistan government and military to focus on the most urgent existential threat they face, which is the threat from within." All this sounds good but how US is going to explain the heavy arms and ammunition being smuggled from across the border into Pakistan in the presence of so called highly efficient US and allies forces? I believe US has limited option either to accept its involvement or blame India who has established over 39 posts at Pak-Afghan borders including fully operational Indian Council Generals and cover Border Road Organization (BRO) offices. The recent bomb blasts in Lahore, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar are not from some religious group but handiwork of Indian intelligence agencies. US cannot deny that the hostile elements in Pakistan are being aided by foreign agencies with cash and heavy arms and ammunition.

US intelligence officials have confirmed that Washington is working to improve cooperation between Pakistan and India to share more information on counterterrorism matters. A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official added that the cooperation also included intelligence sharing on Taliban commanders who are carrying out insurgency against the Pakistani government. In the same regard, the Wall Street Journal also reported that CIA arranged for Pakistan and India to share information on the Pakistan-based Mujahideen organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiaba (LeT). The US also shares regular intelligence with India on Pakistan Army's operations against elements in Bajaur, the Swat Valley and Buner in Pakistan. In another development mediated by CIA, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service has been thrown open to everyone in India. Earlier, it was restricted only to people with relatives across the dividing Line of Control (LoC). Indian Government has eased the existing rules, as a result of which more people can now travel across the LoC. They don't need a valid passport but instead a permit issued by the Passport Officer in Indian Jammu and Kashmir would suffice. This permit would be valid for visit any where in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In the same regard Indian Ministry of External Affair has issued clarifications that all Indian national can apply for across LoC travel in Pakistan. Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given go ahead signal to a plan in which 'triple entry permit' would be granted to frequent travelers, which will put an end to going through various formalities. It appears that days are counted when the Indian nationals would also be allowed to visit Pakistan without necessary formalities.

Cold War divided the world between the Communists and Capitalists or Soviet and Western blocs but it has now been replaced by new identity groups; this time Free World and Fundamentalists. Although these terminologies are not new but prime focus on them has created new blocks of friend and foes. US is trying to convince Pakistan that Islamabad should not consider India as a primary threat and concentrate its energies on fighting terrorism inside the country. US must understand that its policies in the region and pressure on Pakistan to take military action against fundamentalist Muslims can lead Pakistan to an ethnic crisis which will be difficult to control even by Pakistani future generations. If all the countries of the world abide by International Law and United Nations charter and do not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, peace will be automatically restored and homogeny of society will ultimately take its own course. US is persuading Islamabad to start a new relation with New Delhi but India, which is anti-Pakistan, as its past record also suggests, is not only applauding US's pressure on Pakistan to take military action against Muslim fundamentalists but quietly pumping in money and arms through Afghan and Indian border in order to destabilize Pakistan. Through misleading campaign about Pakistan's collaboration with anti-US, an anti-Israeli and anti-Indian force, India is also not allowing Pakistan and US to come closer. US must understand that one of the basic principles of Pakistan foreign policy is to delay full diplomatic relations with India unless India honours Kashmir's commitment on the basis of Indian Independence Bill which has also been authenticated by United Nations resolutions on Kashmir. Can US guarantee Pakistan that Indian Army would be pulled out from occupied Kashmiri territories and plebiscite would be held in all parts of disputed Jammu and Kashmir state.