Responding to the Mounting Challenge
By Misbah U. Azam, PhD
Phoenix, AZ
The unfortunate incident in Mumbai once again reminded the people of the sub-continent of the fragile nature of the peace process between India and Pakistan and confirmed anew that all initiatives in this regard are dependent upon how, when, and if, the Indian government is able and willing to proceed with them.
Contrary to Udhay Bhaskar's optimism the odds are that there will be no peace talks in the foreseeable future. It will be a success of the moderates on both sides if they were able to prevent both countries from resorting to an armed conflict.
Knowing India’s internal vulnerabilities and the economic and governance problems in Pakistan, the Indian response has not been at all surprising. However, the most disappointing factor is the response of the Western governments and the role of their media. The anchormen and commentators unabashedly and unhesitatingly talk about surgical strikes in Pakistan by forming a coalition, which is a demonstration of deliberate ignorance of the fact that although Pakistan does have issues but India too is not clean slated at all. Recently, its an Indian military’s Lt. Col. and some ranking officer, were found involved in the massacre of Indians because of their hatred for Muslims and their malicious design to frame Pakistan in terrorist plots. No matter how much one criticizes the Pakistan intelligence, it never killed its own people to blame India for the massacre of Chittisighpora or the attacks on Indian parliament. Whether it was the attack on the Samjhota Express or the bomb blasts in Malegaon, the Western media and governments accepted and propagated whatever the Indians alleged. Even in the case of the Mumbai attacks, Secretary Rice virtually asked Pakistan to act on what India’s dictates and not to worry about the evidence. State Department’s spokesman, Robert Wood, clearly said that the US did not know who was involved in the attack on Mumbai but Pakistan had to fulfill its commitment against terrorism. He could not answer satisfactorily when he was asked if no one knows who is the real perpetrator of the crime why Pakistan alone should be linked with the attacks and lectured about them.
Recent revelation of internal links in Mumbai attacks and controversy of Pranab Mukharjee’s threatening calls to President Zardari and Secretary Rice may indicate that someone inside the Indian establishment had planned to provoke a war between the nuclear rivals. It is unfortunate, however, that though the truth is out and the facts point in some other direction, no one in the Western media or the government bothers to criticizes India for its immaturity.
It is thus necessary for Pakistan to confront this disconcerting situation by:
a) Coordinating among the institutions so that there will be only one statement emanating from the government spokespersons. Every statement should be balanced and well thought of.
b) Pakistan embassies in Europe and America should engage in aggressive diplomacy and remind the governments about the history of these allegations and the outcome in the past.
c) The private media in Pakistan should coordinate and dispatch top media anchors and intellectuals to the US and Europe to debate the issue with local journalists and confront writers like Robert Kagen and others in the public forums and think tanks. They should have a constant rapport with them.
d) Pakistani community leaders living abroad should not be apologetic when they are debating the issues with the media and Indian intellectuals.
e) The Pakistan government should work closely with China to remove concerns about Pakistan. That way Pakistan will get the leverage to make better relations with Russia and Islamabad could slowly reduce its reliance on the West.
