Delhi cautious on Pak-US drama
NEW DELHI: India is watching with keen interest US statements that could have, at different times, easily emanated from New Delhi.
While Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, was berating Pakistan, India was playing host to a high-level commerce officials' delegation from Pakistan in Mumbai, holding out the promise that Pakistan may grant MFN status to India soon. In New York, foreign minister SM Krishna dropped in on a reception hosted by Hina Rabbani Khar.
But Krishna's message remained cautious. "I am sure they (Pakistan) will realize and they have, by now they should have (realized) that terrorism cannot be fought selectively," he said. Quoting the PM, he said, "It has to be fought across the board."
For many years, Indian officials and leaders have slammed Pakistan for supporting terror networks. The Indian embassy in Kabul was hit on July 7, 2008 by a combination of terrorists from the Haqqani network and ISI. Intelligence tracing the attackers to the Haqqanis as well as their masters in the ISI was provided to the Indians by the US.
On December 30, 2009, a Jordanian double agent, Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, turned out to have been recruited by the Haqqanis when he blew himself up at a secret meeting with CIA officials in Camp Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan. On September 20, Burhanuddin Rabbani, chief of the High Peace Council and former president of Afghanistan was assassinated in yet another suicide attack by forces that are opposed to the Taliban reconciliation process. So, it wasn't really a revelation to the US that the Haqqani network is closely tied to the al-Qaida, Afghan Taliban and ISI. On Tuesday, the Afghan Taliban made an unusual statement that they, not Islamabad, control the Haqqanis.
This confirmed suspicions. During the recent attack on the US embassy and ISAF headquarters in Kabul, the attackers brazenly stayed in touch with and took instructions from ISI operatives in Pakistan. If attacking an embassy is the closest you can get to an act of war, Pakistan and the US are about as close as they can get.
But Indian analysts say things may not be as simple as they seem. "Things seem to be going out of hand in Afghanistan," said Rana Banerji, Pakistan expert, formerly with R&AW. The US needs Pakistan for logistics supplies for the war in Afghanistan. To that extent, Hina Khar had a point when she said the US risked losing an ally.
On the other hand, Indian analysts also believe that Pakistan would be keen to avoid US sanctions, so Islamabad too would be playing its anti-Americanism carefully.
In the immediate future, Indian officials expect that the US would cut back on more military aid to Pakistan.
While Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, was berating Pakistan, India was playing host to a high-level commerce officials' delegation from Pakistan in Mumbai, holding out the promise that Pakistan may grant MFN status to India soon. In New York, foreign minister SM Krishna dropped in on a reception hosted by Hina Rabbani Khar.
But Krishna's message remained cautious. "I am sure they (Pakistan) will realize and they have, by now they should have (realized) that terrorism cannot be fought selectively," he said. Quoting the PM, he said, "It has to be fought across the board."
For many years, Indian officials and leaders have slammed Pakistan for supporting terror networks. The Indian embassy in Kabul was hit on July 7, 2008 by a combination of terrorists from the Haqqani network and ISI. Intelligence tracing the attackers to the Haqqanis as well as their masters in the ISI was provided to the Indians by the US.
On December 30, 2009, a Jordanian double agent, Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, turned out to have been recruited by the Haqqanis when he blew himself up at a secret meeting with CIA officials in Camp Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan. On September 20, Burhanuddin Rabbani, chief of the High Peace Council and former president of Afghanistan was assassinated in yet another suicide attack by forces that are opposed to the Taliban reconciliation process. So, it wasn't really a revelation to the US that the Haqqani network is closely tied to the al-Qaida, Afghan Taliban and ISI. On Tuesday, the Afghan Taliban made an unusual statement that they, not Islamabad, control the Haqqanis.
This confirmed suspicions. During the recent attack on the US embassy and ISAF headquarters in Kabul, the attackers brazenly stayed in touch with and took instructions from ISI operatives in Pakistan. If attacking an embassy is the closest you can get to an act of war, Pakistan and the US are about as close as they can get.
But Indian analysts say things may not be as simple as they seem. "Things seem to be going out of hand in Afghanistan," said Rana Banerji, Pakistan expert, formerly with R&AW. The US needs Pakistan for logistics supplies for the war in Afghanistan. To that extent, Hina Khar had a point when she said the US risked losing an ally.
On the other hand, Indian analysts also believe that Pakistan would be keen to avoid US sanctions, so Islamabad too would be playing its anti-Americanism carefully.
In the immediate future, Indian officials expect that the US would cut back on more military aid to Pakistan.
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