The world’s largest democracy chooses a new government in an election beginning on Thursday, and given the fires burning next door in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the men and women who will rule New Delhi over the next five years will doubtless exert influence over the course of events.
Indeed, with the pain and anger over the Mumbai attacks of November still raw, the mood could hardly be tougher against Pakistan. Even shorn of the campaign rhetoric, the positions of both the ruling Congress and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party on Pakistan begin from common ground. No dialogue with Islamabad until it “dismantles the infrastructure of terrorism”, both parties say in their manifestos.
Full texts of the documents of the two main parties are here and here.
New Delhi’s continued refusal to resume dialogue or indeed to expand other links such as trade has caught Pakistan between a rock and a hard place, according to this piece in 2point6billion.com, a website tracking developments mainly in China and India. While Islamabad has repeatedly called for resumption of dialogue since the attacks, Delhi has refused to comply until it is assured that Pakistan will prosecute all those involved in the planning and operations.
Delhi maintains that it holds information garnered from satellite, cellular and other communications devices captured at the scene that lead to specific individuals that Pakistan has as yet failed to apprehend. Islamabad denies the charge and says it is doing everything in its power to cooperate.
The result is that the noose has tightened around Pakistan, exacerbating its already dire financial situation. Trade between Pakistan and India, which had been growing and was forecast to hit US$10 billion by 2010, has dwindled to close to zero over the past few months, with Pakistan feeling the brunt of this economic demise, says the website. Islamabad has already had to apply for a US$7.6 billion loan from the IMF in February and garnered an additional US$2.8 billion in military aid from the Obama administration just two weeks ago.
But is there a possibility that once India’s elections are out of the way, there might be a slight softening of positions? A new government will be under less pressure to be seen to be acting tough. Looking at the manifestos again, you do detect slight differences in the tone.
Here’s the BJP on Pakistan, true to its roots a touch more aggressive :
“”There can be no ‘comprehensive dialogue’ for peace unless Pakistan a) dismantles the terrorist infrastructure on territory under its control; b) actively engages in prosecuting terror elements and organisations; c) puts a permanent, verifiable end to its practice of using cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy; d) stops using the territory of third countries to launch terror attacks on India; and, e) hands over to India individuals wanted for committing crimes on Indian soil.”
The Congress on the other hand says dealing with “”terrorism aided and abetted from across our borders does not require a muscular foreign policy as advocated by the BJP.”"
Here is their plan:
“”But the Mumbai attacks have cast a long shadow on the on-going dialogue and engagement process. It is now entirely up to Pakistan to break the impasse by taking credible action against those responsible for the carnage in Mumbai. If it does so and dismantles the terrorist networks that operate from its soil, a Congress-led government will not be found wanting in its response. ”
Has the Congress, still the frontrunner in the election, left the door to dialogue slightly open?
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Rajeev writes: “HE WAS CAPTURED WHILE DRESSED IN A BURKA ”
That also happens to be the traditional uniform for Pakistani army. Umair will feel really insulted that a non-state actor used the prestigious Pakistani military uniform typically used to escape from real wars. Umair recently posted his army’s slogan which translates thus:
BEARD, BURQA and BEND OVER.
- Posted by Mauryan@Rajeev,
I take my comment back. This Washington Post articles says otherwise. Looks like Taliban is aiming high.”
–by Mauryan
Mauryan: I am just waiting for counter attack by “Pakistani Army” OR another deal by Pakistani establishment. One of the two.
Yes u are right, it is something big. This is fundamentalism movement sweeping across the nation and has Mullahs, terrorists, Taliban sharing their common goal of fanatic Islamic Pakistan where Qazi not CJ decides—the worst possible scenario that a sane Pakistani would wish for. This has shadowed LongMarch, so soon so easily. LongMarch was for judiciary and democracy this is also over those issues to make sure everything won in LongMarch is lost. These extremists/terrorists of all shades including fanatic Mullahs are part of these tide and want to turn Islamic republic of Pakistan into Fanatic Republic of Taliban. Others have no say in this.
Quote “Speaking to thousands of followers in an address aired live from Swat on national news channels, cleric Sufi Mohammed bluntly defied the constitution and federal judiciary, saying he would not allow any appeals to state courts under the system of sharia, or Islamic law, that will prevail there as a result of the peace accord signed by the president Tuesday.”
And in Islamabad in the famous Lal Masjid:
“Mohammed’s dramatic speech echoed a rousing sermon in Islamabad on Friday by another radical cleric, Maulana Abdul Aziz, who appeared at the Red Mosque in the capital after nearly two years in detention and urged several thousand chanting followers to launch a crusade for sharia nationwide.”
Aziz was detained by Pakistani security forces during the siege after famous operation by Pakistani Army in July 2007. HE WAS CAPTURED WHILE DRESSED IN A BURKA
He used the disguise in an attempt to elude security forces. So this thing has been cooking for a while and now everything is falling in place.
There is no way other than giving these fanatics/terrorists/Taliban the same medicine what they give to others. That works the best. Good luck Pakistanis.
- Posted by rajeevRajeev,
I take my comment back. This Washington Post articles says otherwise. Looks like Taliban is aiming high.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con tent/article/2009/04/19/AR2009041901731. html?hpid=topnews
- Posted by MauryanRajeev writes: “Moving on, did you say the recent development–
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_deta il.asp?Id=21615″
This demand seems to confine the rules to the Malakand region only. It depends upon how the Pakistani leaders play them after the rule is implemented. If it is left internal to Pakistan, I think the dust will settle. But the Al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban issues will not be allowed to settle by the US. They would push Pakistan’s government to go in there and take them out. That is when the Taliban will decide to take over the power in entire Punjab first and control the situation from there. Balochistan is already in their pocket.
- Posted by Mauryan@Rajeev,
I wouldn’t generalize that all Indians hate Pakistanis. But I am sure there is a substantial number of close minded people on our side too - The Thackerays, Narendra Modis, the Advanis and their followers. The only advantage is that they are not as militant as the groups inside Pakistan, who are almost trained to fight like commandos. Our diversity and democratic system have kept these war lords at bay from exploiting the public sentiments. And I am glad that we have atheists, Dalits, Communists and Congressmen who balance out their thrust.”
–I do not want to rake up the old discussion. My point of asking the question was that I rememebered once we had one intense discussion over the Kashmir issue and you said something along the lines which made it sound as if more Indians hate Pakistanis than do Pakisanis towards India. Population-wise, it is not the absolute #s. But I got ur point.
Moving on, did you say the recent development–
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_deta il.asp?Id=21615
- Posted by rajeevRajeev,
Sorry, I don’t think I gave you a clear answer. I believe we have an equal number of people inside India who hate Pakistanis to the core. Mind you India is 8 times more populated. So that makes is about 12%.
What I worry about is that this population might grow more militant and trigger Islamic upsurge inside India. This is something the ISI would love to exploit. And these groups might pressure the government to do stupid things. We must campaign somewhere hard to contain these elements in India who are waiting for an opportunity to use hatred as a quick means to power grabbing. Hate will burn anyone. I’d love to sign up extradition treaty with Pakistan and send Bal Thackarey, Uddhav Thackaeray, and other hate mongers to Pakistan. They can do whatever they want with these guys. I’d like to see them in the same jail cell with Dawood Ibrahim.
- Posted by MauryanRajeev writes: “do you still think Indians hate Pakistanis more than the other way around?”
I wouldn’t generalize that all Indians hate Pakistanis. But I am sure there is a substantial number of close minded people on our side too - The Thackerays, Narendra Modis, the Advanis and their followers. The only advantage is that they are not as militant as the groups inside Pakistan, who are almost trained to fight like commandos. Our diversity and democratic system have kept these war lords at bay from exploiting the public sentiments. And I am glad that we have atheists, Dalits, Communists and Congressmen who balance out their thrust.
Our frustration has been that the Americans have completely ignored the reality in the region and have gone to bed with the wrong people in bringing peace to this region. This has also whipped up anti-American sentiments in our population.
I worry for our moderate Muslims after Mumbai. I read in NY times that many well to do middle class Muslims are denied renting apartments in Mumbai. I’d like to protest this somewhere. We need to do better in treating our citizens for their rights. But that is a different topic.
In short, I do believe that there are hate mongers inside our country too. Right now, we have control over them.
- Posted by Mauryan@Hatred is a worse than even the nukes and they have begun to boil with hatred.”
- Posted by Mauryan
–Mauryan, you have been on these blogs shared ur thoughts with pakistani and other bloggers. You have tried to reason with pakistanis & have hit ur head against their wall of ideology based on anti-Hindu religious intolerance/anti-India-pro-Taliban ideology/conspiracy theories/take all the credit for throwing Soviets out & blame US for all the problems in Pak/shamelessly telling that Pakistan-ISI is doing anti-India activities in Mumbai. These bloggers are hopefully the over-exagerated version of Pakistani people, but do do you still think Indians hate Pakistanis more than the other way around?
- Posted by rajeev