TACKLING PAKISTAN

Each time there is a major terrorist strike in India, the needle of suspicion points towards Islamabad, as it has done once again in the wake of the serial blasts in Hyderabad. The sophisticated nature of the explosive and timers, apart from the target, Andhra Pradesh’s capital, clearly points to a larger strategy orchestrated from outside. Pakistan’s double game, of peace talks and Confidence Building Measures on the one hand, and covert support to terrorist groups operating against India on the other is well documented.

The Indo-Pakistan peace process is now on hold and in South Block there is serious debate on what India’s strategy for dealing with Pakistan should be. There is also the realization that the UPA government’s conciliatory approach to Islamabad has not worked. Following Musharraf’s pledge on January 6, 2004 that he will not let Pakistan territory be used for terrorism against India, the opposition has become the norm. While Jammu & Kashmir bore the brunt, across India there have been five major terrorist strikes apart from the Hyderabad blasts.

The Indo-Pakistan peace process has had limited success like the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus link and a liberalized visa regime. The slow pace of the dialogue was largely because Delhi was never really sure about President Musharraf, whether to trust him or not. His government’s covert support to terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba has continued unchecked in a dangerous double game that Islamabad has been playing.