thestringshredder
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NEW DELHI: Sustained public anger over mutilation of the bodies of two Army jawans by a Pakistani unit and Islamabad's steadfast refusal to own up for the misdeeds of its armed forces is rapidly constricting the Manmohan Singh government's options on the peace process.
The government's attempt to keep Pakistan engaged with initiatives on trade and tourism has been hit hard with both Congress and BJP reflecting popular outrage and demanding stern steps to force Pakistan to acknowledge the savagery of its army and bring the guilty to book.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded that if lance naik Hemraj's decapitated head is not returned, Indian forces should seek 10 in return and Congress - in what must be a first - supported Shiv Sena's protest against Pakistani players being part of the Indian Hockey League.
"We should take revenge. The country does not want us to be seen as a weak government. If we don't get this (Hemraj's) head, we should get 10 of theirs," Swaraj said after visiting the family of the slain soldier.
Asked about Shiv Sena's protests against Pakistani players, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, "Shiv Sena is expressing anger in its way. The anger is definitely justified...But one should not lose one's sensibility in anger."
Taken along with Army chief Bikram Singh's tough talk that Indian commanders have a right to retaliate against Pakistan's repeated acts of aggression, the political mood may put paid to any expectations that the peace process can be resuscitated once inflamed sentiments subside.
At least in the immediate future, the prospects of the peace process Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has doggedly pursued seem dim as Pakistan refuses to even institute an inquiry to identify those guilty of mutilating the bodies of Indian soldiers.
Pakistan's attempt to internationalize the issue by "offering" an UN investigation is an insincere response to Indian demands, providing more ammunition to skeptics who question the durability of the peace initiative in the absence of verifiable progress on Islamabad's preparedness to crack down on terrorism against India.
Senior ministers not willing to speak on record said they are concerned by Pakistan's evasive response to inquiring into the incident that has come close on the heels of Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik's visit during which he equated Ayodhya to 26/11 and even claimed that Mumbai case accused Abu Jundal was an Indian agent.
The attempts of foreign minister Salman Khurshid to articulate a "moderate" view saying that India will not be pressurized by calls for revenge are not convincing his own party colleagues. National security advisor ( NSA) Shivshankar Menon's dismissal of the UN military observer group in India and Pakistan with a laconic "does it still exist" is smart one-liner, but is hardly enough.
The tough guy role is usually that of the defence minister, but A K Antony's mild-mannered ways do not cast him in that mould. The Opposition BJP is already attacking the PM for his silence on the brutalities committed by a Pakistani Army detachment that sneaked across the Line of Control ( LoC).
The Army chief's remarks that the Pakistani operation needed around eight-10 days of planning also put paid to speculation that tension escalated due to some bunker building and make it clear that aggressive intent was well thought out.
Congress has been very wary of the PM's bid to push the peace envelop with Pakistan and Singh's ill-fated bid to accelerate the engagement at Sharm-el-Sheikh soon after UPA won a second term has left deep scars. Some in government fear a hard headed trust-but-verify policy is falling victim to a dangerous willing suspension of disbelief.
It is significant that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has kept her distance from the Pakistan oeuvre, skipping a lunch hosted by the PM for Pakistani president Asif Zardari when he more or less forced a visit to India, apparently to visit the shrine at Ajmer.
Mismanaging relations with Pakistan gives an obvious opening to a hawkish BJP, ever keen to daub the Congress as being "soft on terror". BJP was unable to capitalize on 26/11 in the 2009 but senses a fresh opportunity to attack UPA-II at a time when its credibility has been hurt by a faltering economy and corruption cases.
Link - Pak’s LoC brutality to stall peace move - The Times of India
The government's attempt to keep Pakistan engaged with initiatives on trade and tourism has been hit hard with both Congress and BJP reflecting popular outrage and demanding stern steps to force Pakistan to acknowledge the savagery of its army and bring the guilty to book.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded that if lance naik Hemraj's decapitated head is not returned, Indian forces should seek 10 in return and Congress - in what must be a first - supported Shiv Sena's protest against Pakistani players being part of the Indian Hockey League.
"We should take revenge. The country does not want us to be seen as a weak government. If we don't get this (Hemraj's) head, we should get 10 of theirs," Swaraj said after visiting the family of the slain soldier.
Asked about Shiv Sena's protests against Pakistani players, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, "Shiv Sena is expressing anger in its way. The anger is definitely justified...But one should not lose one's sensibility in anger."
Taken along with Army chief Bikram Singh's tough talk that Indian commanders have a right to retaliate against Pakistan's repeated acts of aggression, the political mood may put paid to any expectations that the peace process can be resuscitated once inflamed sentiments subside.
At least in the immediate future, the prospects of the peace process Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has doggedly pursued seem dim as Pakistan refuses to even institute an inquiry to identify those guilty of mutilating the bodies of Indian soldiers.
Pakistan's attempt to internationalize the issue by "offering" an UN investigation is an insincere response to Indian demands, providing more ammunition to skeptics who question the durability of the peace initiative in the absence of verifiable progress on Islamabad's preparedness to crack down on terrorism against India.
Senior ministers not willing to speak on record said they are concerned by Pakistan's evasive response to inquiring into the incident that has come close on the heels of Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik's visit during which he equated Ayodhya to 26/11 and even claimed that Mumbai case accused Abu Jundal was an Indian agent.
The attempts of foreign minister Salman Khurshid to articulate a "moderate" view saying that India will not be pressurized by calls for revenge are not convincing his own party colleagues. National security advisor ( NSA) Shivshankar Menon's dismissal of the UN military observer group in India and Pakistan with a laconic "does it still exist" is smart one-liner, but is hardly enough.
The tough guy role is usually that of the defence minister, but A K Antony's mild-mannered ways do not cast him in that mould. The Opposition BJP is already attacking the PM for his silence on the brutalities committed by a Pakistani Army detachment that sneaked across the Line of Control ( LoC).
The Army chief's remarks that the Pakistani operation needed around eight-10 days of planning also put paid to speculation that tension escalated due to some bunker building and make it clear that aggressive intent was well thought out.
Congress has been very wary of the PM's bid to push the peace envelop with Pakistan and Singh's ill-fated bid to accelerate the engagement at Sharm-el-Sheikh soon after UPA won a second term has left deep scars. Some in government fear a hard headed trust-but-verify policy is falling victim to a dangerous willing suspension of disbelief.
It is significant that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has kept her distance from the Pakistan oeuvre, skipping a lunch hosted by the PM for Pakistani president Asif Zardari when he more or less forced a visit to India, apparently to visit the shrine at Ajmer.
Mismanaging relations with Pakistan gives an obvious opening to a hawkish BJP, ever keen to daub the Congress as being "soft on terror". BJP was unable to capitalize on 26/11 in the 2009 but senses a fresh opportunity to attack UPA-II at a time when its credibility has been hurt by a faltering economy and corruption cases.
Link - Pak’s LoC brutality to stall peace move - The Times of India
