Editorial: Is it India or is it Taliban?
Mr Nawaz Sharif said Thursday that India and Pakistan need to normalise relations in order to resolve the current crises in the region. This contrasted with the statement by the new Jama’at-e Islami chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, that Pakistan must sever relations with India because the latter is allegedly involved in the insurrection in Balochistan. There is a third-party comment from the US Secretary of State, Ms Hilary Clinton, about the “good news” that Pakistan is withdrawing some troops from the border with India and making them confront the terrorists in the tribal areas. This is in consonance with Mr Sharif’s wisdom.
Mr Sharif actually thought of normalisation of relations with India in the context of Kashmir. But even that suffices as long as it is the normalisation pledged by him in the Charter of Democracy of 2006. However, a number of other politically less powerful but influential men — because of their media profile — are recommending confrontation with India. They also want confrontation with the US because both, they vow, are involved in fomenting terrorism in Pakistan. One stands accused of destabilising Pakistan and wanting to undo it; the other is accused of wanting to cause a state breakdown to facilitate the taking away of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. From Gen Aslam Beg to Gen Hamid Nawaz, retired generals are tracing all kinds of Taliban-owned terrorist attacks to India.
Even if we accept that India is fishing in the tribal areas, then too it does ot take away from the Taliban threat. Major-General Athar Abbas, Director-General ISPR, talking to The Friday Times this week, said: “Whatever one says, it cannot be denied that we face a conventional threat on the eastern border that we cannot ignore. There is a history of conflict with India, and there are several outstanding issues. For example, the water issue is emerging as a serious problem between the two countries. Also consider that the Pakistan-specific conventional capabilities of India are being expanded; and there was a 35 percent increase in the budget for this capability. Can any nation lower its guard against such a threat?”
But the point about the Taliban threat is not to reduce the threat perception from India but to realise that the internal security dimension offers an immediate and existential threat. What is more important to consider is the fact that Pakistan may be defeated from the inside before it is able to confront India effectively on the borders. This is what everyone in Pakistan and outside it is now saying and so far the state has not shown the will to fight the internal threat. The world is prepared to help with military and non-military funds and providing training to our security forces to fight the terrorists and win this war.
India will not talk just now as it is in the throes of general elections. Both the big parties are casting their net for votes by exploiting the anger aroused among the masses against Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks. The government in New Delhi can’t take the risk of being seen fraternising with Pakistan, but some communication can be established through the secondary channels to enable Pakistan to safely disengage from the eastern border and save its citizens from being slaughtered behind its back.
Unless the army gets to enjoy an upper hand vis-à-vis the Taliban soon, it runs the risk of losing internal cohesiveness.
The Balochistan issue with India can be negotiated because the Baloch sub-nationalists are demanding constitutional rights and that issue in any case needs to be tackled within the larger framework of the federation. India is definitely making trouble there but it won’t be able to get a corresponding response from the Baloch if the Baloch grievances can be addressed.
Meanwhile, it is not advisable to include Russia in the terrorist equation, as Security Adviser Mr Rehman Malik did on Thursday, because even in the 1970s the Russians did not train the Baloch insurgents, Indeed, Russia has stayed away from our mess since 1991. What is the logic of inflating the threat simply in order to explain why Pakistan is not engaging the Taliban? *
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