Pakistan: Now or Never?
Perspectives on Pakistan
from India Insight:
Will Indian army’s charm offensive work in Kashmir?
When thousands gathered in an Indian army camp in Kashmir recently, people started asking questions: Is this another protest against New Delhi's rule?
The answer came as a surprise to many and as a shock to some.
Nearly 10,000 youth had gathered to try their luck in a recruitment drive by the Indian army in the disputed region and not to protest against alleged excesses by security forces.
A BBC report said that by taking part in the Indian army's recruitment rally, Kashmiri youth have disregarded the region's "struggle for independence which has been ongoing for the last 20 years."
Tens of thousands have died since 1989 in Kashmir, which is claimed both by India and Pakistan.
And now the strategic encirclement of Pakistan
An Indian military presence in Afghanistan to put further pressure on Pakistan? That would be the red rag for Pakistan, and the end of its long struggle to seek strategic depth in Afghanistan against its much larger eastern neighbour.
Indian newspapers have reported army chief General Deepak Kapoor as saying at a news conference that such a move would squeeze Pakistan, although he seemed to be at considerable pains to stress this was a decision that India’s politicians had to take.
