'Pakistan Army is the problem'
Washington: Conveying India's view on its neighbourhood to the US, a top Indian official had told US Af-Pak envoy in 2009 that most of the problems in Pakistan can be traced to its military's intentions and informed him that post 26/11 India had consciously not attempted to take any measures that would destabilise the civilian government there.
In his meeting with Richard Holbrooke on February 16, 2009 in New Delhi, the then Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon also thanked the Special Representative for US' role in pressing Pakistan to act on India's dossier on Mumbai attacks and said that it was 'remarkable that we got this far'.
"Turning to Pakistan, Menon observed that the mood there had deteriorated over the past year, saying it had gone from euphoria after the return of a civilian government to worries over security and the economy," says a secret US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
The US has influence, however, 'where it matters most', Menon, now the National Security Advisor, said referring to the Pakistan Army, arguing that "most of the problems in Pakistan can be traced to the capacity and intentions of Pakistan's military," it said reporting on the meeting.
"Not only must Pakistan's army shift its attention from east to west, Menon asserted, but it must also cut its links to jihadi organisations, who have gone global over the past five years.
"Supporting Pakistan's army is not the answer, he said, suggesting that changing its operating assumptions would be more effective," it said. Menon also pointed out that in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, India had consciously not attempted to take any measures to destabilise Pakistan's civilian government, and had made every effort to continue trade and travel ties.
However, he said, Pakistan's Army continued to make things difficult for India, through ceasefire violations, infiltrations and continued support for terrorist groups.
"Menon noted that India, in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, had consciously not built up troops on the border with Pakistan, as it had following the 2001 attack on its Parliament," it said.
Offered an initial Indian assessment of the Pakistani response to India's dossier on the Mumbai terror attacks, Menon thanked the US for its role in pressing Pakistan to act and said that it was "remarkable that we got this far". Still, Menon maintained, Pakistan has further to go to bring justice to the perpetrators of the attack, and it is not clear whether it will continue on this positive track or, citing the Daniel Pearl case, recede when public pressure wanes, the cable said.
Post new comment