Rajinder Puri
Prime Minister Mr. Nawaz Sharif has written to Prime Minister Mr.
Narendra Modi expressing satisfaction with his recent visit to India.
Mr. Modi has responded with the hope that bilateral ties will be
enhanced after an atmosphere free from violence and confrontation is
established. It is a futile hope. Terrorist violence will never be
eliminated unless the present approach and policies adopted by both
governments is drastically revised. The terrorists are smart. Apart from
petty personal rivalries among terrorist leaders and the Sunni-Shi'ite
enmity the Taliban terror outfits are united in the pursuit of their
main agenda. And that is to ensure that India and Pakistan remain
hostilely separated. Terrorists systematically strike to prevent any
move towards achievement of Indo-Pakistan peace. They have done so in
the past and will do it in the future. It is the political
establishments in India and Pakistan that stupidly allow manipulation by
the terrorists. The strategy
of the terrorists could not be more transparent.
On the eve of Mr. Modi's swearing-in ceremony and invitation to all
heads of South Asian nations, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, there
was a terror strike against India in Herat. After Mr. Sharif wrote his
friendly letter to Mr. Modi, there was a major terror strike against the
Karachi airport. Even as Mr. Modi's letter to Mr. Sharif, hoping for
end to an atmosphere of violence and confrontation was delivered, there
was ceasefire violation with mortar shelling in Kashmir. This could not
have been done without the direct participation or complicity of the
rogue element in Pakistan's security establishment. Like puppets on a
string the governments and ruling elites in India and Pakistan dance to
the tune set by the terrorists who display formidable unity and
cohesion.
In the Karachi airport strike the Tereeq-e-Taliban claimed
responsibility. The terrorists shot dead in that encounter were Uighurs.
Uighur leaders proudly claimed that they had participated in the attack
organised by the Punjabi Taliban.And yet some security analysts in
Pakistan continued to accuse India and Afghanistan of jointly launching
the attack. Could a response have been more pathetic? Both India and
Pakistan are being bled by terror attacks, Pakistan more so than India.
Yet both countries cannot make common cause to eliminate terrorism which
could be accomplished within a few months if both armies and security
agencies conducted joint operations. Can they not draw inspiration from
the unity displayed by the terrorists?
It may be recalled that early Chinese claims of Uighur terrorism may
have been spurious to appear victim while being a perpetrator. Some
years back Beijing sought information from Islamabad about certain
Uighurs being trained in Pakistani camps. This revealed Beijing's
official awareness of Uighur participation in terrorist activity.
Pakistan-trained Uighur terrorists, who were expected to go for action
in Chechnya, sent with blessing of the People's Liberation Army. The
situation changed after Beijing supplied arms to Iranian backed Shi'ite
jihaadis. China depended heavily on energy supplies from Iran. But that
miscalculation turned Sunni terror outfits against Beijing and led to
escalation of genuine Uighur terrorism in Xingjian. The cooperation
displayed now between Uighurs and the Punjabi Taliban in the Karachi
airport strike is worth noting.
The Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan are tragically wasting time
by refusing to recognise the simple truth. Confidence building measures
and goodwill exchanges will accomplish nothing. Terrorists can always
derail the peace process through calculated acts of terror. Mindsets
have to change before both nations build trust to eliminate the common
enemy. That trust will only come if both governments agree to jointly
eliminate terror. They will agree to joint efforts only if a serious
effort to settle the Kashmir dispute, whatever its final solution, is
first announced.
That serious effort can only be made when a settlement is reached with
the consent of Islamabad, New Delhi and the people of Kashmir. So first
things first! The steps towards genuine Indo-Pakistan peace are, first
an agreement to establish joint operations against terror, secondly to
simultaneously agree to sincerely address the Kashmir dispute, and third
to introduce the institutional changes required to stabilize the new
consequent arrangement in the region. Everything else is a waste of
time. Politicians should not delude themselves. They should learn to be
as smart as the terrorists who confront them.
The writer is a veteran journalist and cartoonist. He blogs at
www.rajinderpuri.wordpress.com
100 years ago
OCCASIONAL NOTE
Sir Edward Grey's statement in regard to the Anglo-Russian "naval
agreement" which has been mooted in some not very well-informed quarters
bears out what has been maintained in the columns of The Statesman. A
root principle of British policy, now as in the days of Bismarck, is the
avoidance of any written agreement except when a definite and immediate
end is in view. The obligations incurred by Great Britain to co-operate
with other Powers in the use of armed force could be numbered on the
fingers of one hand; and of these those guaranteeing the integrity of
Portugal and Belgium date back respectively seven hundred years and over
seventy years. The essence of the system of balance of power is the
maintenance of friendly and even intimate relations with Powers which
might need the assistance of Great Britain in the hour of crisis. But
these friendly relations are never reduced to written agreement in so
far as concerns future armed co-operation. It is indeed obvious
that any general undertaking to co-operate in the naval sphere with
Russia-and the same would be true of a general undertaking of any kind
in the case of France-would limit Great Britain's freedom and militate
against the prime object of her policy.
AFTER TWO AND A HALF YEARS
Strange Story Re-Called
A peculiar incident which occurred at Howrah during the celebration of
the Mohurrum of December, 1911, has just been re-called by the arrest of
a man named Amulya Charan Das at Matiabruz on Monday.
It is alleged that the accused when living in the Golmaree quarter of
Howrah professed to be a sadhu who could by a certain form of worship,
double any article. During the progress of the Mohurrum the accused is
alleged to have induced three women to part with their ornaments in
order that their number might be doubled. The accused having obtained
the ornaments was seen worshipping in his room by another man. On
observing the latter, the sadhu asked him to go and fetch some oil from
his room. The man went as directed and on his return found that the
sadhu had disappeared. On Monday last Nobin Chunder Bairagi recognised
the alleged accused as he was passing Matiabruz thana. The man was at
once arrested and the case is at present under enquiry.
HEAVY FLOODS IN ASSAM
Water Seven Feet Deep Exciting Rescues
(From Our Correspondent)
Sylhet, June 16
Intimation reached here, today, that owing to excessive rainfall in the
hills to the northern side of Sunamganj sub-division, valleys have been
suddenly submerged under water 7 feet deep in 24 hours. It is stated
that about 15 hill-men were rescued while drifting with the floods. The
extent of the damage has not yet been fully reported. The Deputy
Commissioner has deputed a Sub-Deputy Collector to the affected
locality. The downpour still continues. The sub-divisional town is
likely to be under water soon.
GAUHATI EXTENSION LINE BREACHED
Interruption Of Traffic To Shillong
The Traffic Manager of the Eastern Bengal State Railway states that
serious breaches have occurred on the Gauhati extension, between
Basugdon and Bongaigaon, rendering transhipment for three and a half
miles extremely difficult and passengers may not be able to get through.
All passengers for Shillong and stations beyond Basugdon will be well
advised to postpone their journey. No information can be obtained at
present as to when the line is likely to be repaired. The breaches have
been caused by heavy floods.
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