A surprising US statement
March.05 : When Indians are made targets of a terrorist attack in Afghanistan, it is not fanciful to think of a Pakistan connection. However, that link is not always easy to trace to Islamabad and furnish mathematical proof or evidence that would stand up in a court of law. (Just consider that in spite of clear indications, Pakistan doesn’t accept that any of its security agencies had anything to do with the Mumbai attacks of November 2008.) Orchestration of terror through organised groups by an interested intelligence outfit is typically done through “cutouts” in order to sustain deniability.
All the same, the underlying political motivation in a given case, past patterns of behaviour of those under scrutiny, material gained through electronic eavesdropping, and sometimes testimonies of elements who may be apprehended, provide a clear thread. This is why elements the Pakistani establishment will readily come to mind when Indians as a group are attacked in a place like Kabul. Anyone familiar with the Afghan scene knows that it is only a terrorist group patronised by sections of the Pakistan state apparatus that will have a reason to attack the Indians. Indian presence in Afghanistan does not inspire resentment among any other people. It is therefore surprising that Richard C. Holbrooke, President Barack Obama’s point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan, should give Pakistan an indirect clean chit in the case of the February 26 attacks in Kabul on guest-houses where Indians were known to stay in large numbers.
The senior diplomat has done so by asserting — in the face of all that is known, especially the considered view of the Afghan leadership based on the findings of its own security set-up — that the assault in question was not directed specifically against Indians, but against foreigners in general (an Italian and a Frenchmen were also killed). This is egregious. If foreigners as a general category are to be attacked, there are dozens of more suitable guest-houses in the Afghan capital (where there might also be the odd Indian), but if Indians in particular are sought to be terrorised, there can be few better places to target than those hit last Friday (although there may be the odd non-Indian foreigners around). If America’s Af-Pak interlocutor concedes that Indians were targeted, he is aware that fingers will point at Islamabad. This is what Washington appears eager to avoid. The reason is the current American belief that the Pakistanis are at last cooperating in dealing with the Taliban. For this reason a fresh round of re-arming of Pakistan has also begun. One thousand laser-guided bomb kits, 18 F-16 fighter aircraft, and a dozen drones have just been put on the table, besides a recompense of close to one billion dollars. This is in line with an assurance held out in a letter of President Obama to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari last November. Given the record, weapons collected from the US to fight the Taliban are apt to be deployed against India, and defence minister A.K. Antony has made no bones about this. However, at the moment Washington is busy collecting brownie points from Islamabad. The Indians naturally need to mind their own security in Kabul in every way they can. Their cause will be aided if they put their case on the February 26 attack upfront.
All the same, the underlying political motivation in a given case, past patterns of behaviour of those under scrutiny, material gained through electronic eavesdropping, and sometimes testimonies of elements who may be apprehended, provide a clear thread. This is why elements the Pakistani establishment will readily come to mind when Indians as a group are attacked in a place like Kabul. Anyone familiar with the Afghan scene knows that it is only a terrorist group patronised by sections of the Pakistan state apparatus that will have a reason to attack the Indians. Indian presence in Afghanistan does not inspire resentment among any other people. It is therefore surprising that Richard C. Holbrooke, President Barack Obama’s point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan, should give Pakistan an indirect clean chit in the case of the February 26 attacks in Kabul on guest-houses where Indians were known to stay in large numbers.
The senior diplomat has done so by asserting — in the face of all that is known, especially the considered view of the Afghan leadership based on the findings of its own security set-up — that the assault in question was not directed specifically against Indians, but against foreigners in general (an Italian and a Frenchmen were also killed). This is egregious. If foreigners as a general category are to be attacked, there are dozens of more suitable guest-houses in the Afghan capital (where there might also be the odd Indian), but if Indians in particular are sought to be terrorised, there can be few better places to target than those hit last Friday (although there may be the odd non-Indian foreigners around). If America’s Af-Pak interlocutor concedes that Indians were targeted, he is aware that fingers will point at Islamabad. This is what Washington appears eager to avoid. The reason is the current American belief that the Pakistanis are at last cooperating in dealing with the Taliban. For this reason a fresh round of re-arming of Pakistan has also begun. One thousand laser-guided bomb kits, 18 F-16 fighter aircraft, and a dozen drones have just been put on the table, besides a recompense of close to one billion dollars. This is in line with an assurance held out in a letter of President Obama to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari last November. Given the record, weapons collected from the US to fight the Taliban are apt to be deployed against India, and defence minister A.K. Antony has made no bones about this. However, at the moment Washington is busy collecting brownie points from Islamabad. The Indians naturally need to mind their own security in Kabul in every way they can. Their cause will be aided if they put their case on the February 26 attack upfront.
