Precipitate actions

PAKISTAN has done well not to up the ante in the current crisis in Indo-Pakistan relations. By deciding not to recall its high commissioner in New Delhi, Islamabad has refrained from taking an action that could have only aggravated the already tense diplomatic and military situation in the subcontinent. That India should have decided to recall its envoy in Islamabad and snap all rail and bus links goes only to show the state of mind the Indian leadership is in. It has taken this decision in spite of the risk inherent in hasty and precipitate actions at a time when the crisis needs caution and restraint on both sides.

Since Dec 13, India has done everything except trying to establish the truth behind the attack on the parliament building on that day. One after another, it has rejected all offers by Pakistan to defuse the tension: Pakistan pledged to take action against groups alleged to be involved in the attack if only India would provide proof. Islamabad also offered a joint inquiry and the US offered the FBI’s services for determining the truth behind the Dec 13 attack. New Delhi rejected them all. Instead, it has continued to demonstrate what a Pakistan spokesman called its “unifocal” state of mind by continuing to blame and slander this country. It has also ignored all pleas by friendly countries to refrain from taking unilateral actions that could worsen the crisis. It started a troop build-up along Pakistan’s borders in Sindh and Punjab while Prime Minister Vajpayee talked of keeping all options open. The latest manifestation of New Delhi’s Pakistan obsession is its arbitrary and irrational decision to recall its high commissioner from Islamabad and to snap rail and bus links. One wonders in what way this decision advances India’s interests, much less those of peace and amity in South Asia. The only possible explanation could be a desire to shift the world’s attention away from Kashmir, where its army of 700,000 has failed to stem the people’s revolt for freedom from the yoke of occupation.

Pakistan’s decision not to withdraw its envoy is well-judged and serves the cause of sanity. The world has noted that Islamabad is not contributing to the tension generated by India; instead, it is maintaining its cool and doing all it can to avoid a worsening of the already tense situation. It is quite possible that the Indian leadership may not be wanting a war. But it is certainly playing a dangerous game whose consequences it ought to know. Pakistan cannot remain unmindful of India’s troop build-up that includes the deployment of 500 tanks along the Sindh-Rajasthan border alone. The danger is that a mutually threatening build-up could lead to an accidental war that no one may want.

Left to itself, India would do nothing to ease tension; instead, it would continue to indulge in its favourite sport of Pakistan-bashing and keep the tension alive. This is hardly compatible with the cause of the US-led world coalition, which is still not through with the anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. It is time India’s friends in the West, especially the US and UK, acted swiftly to counsel restraint and circumspection to New Delhi. Pakistan, on its part, is not in a jingoistic mood at all — it cannot be, given the situation along its western border. The world knows this. One hopes saner counsel will prevail in New Delhi and it would realize the horrible consequences flowing from a further escalation of the confrontation between the two South Asian nuclear powers.

Targeted killing

THE murder in cold blood of Ehteshamuddin Haider, a trustee of the Fatimid Foundation and older brother of Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, in Karachi on Friday should serve to remind us of the urgency of dealing with terrorism at home. Mr Haider was killed in the way most other victims of terrorism have lost their lives — while leaving their home or place of work and fired on by men riding motorcycles. It would probably be fair to suggest that Mr Haider was targeted because of his relationship with an important cabinet member. The interior minister, known for his tough line on religious and sectarian extremism, is one of the few senior officials of this government who at least has the guts to call a spade a spade.

Moinuddin Haider has been an outspoken critic of sectarian and jihadi organizations, successfully pushing through a ban on their collection of donations and a ban on the public display of weapons. He has said many times that the system of education in madrassahs must be overhauled and the functioning of these institutions regulated if Pakistan is to become a modern and progressive society. In the past, leaders of some of the groups whom the minister has criticized have called for his resignation, and some have even threatened him personally. This kind of context to this tragic death might at least point investigating agencies in the right direction. Maybe the murder of the minister’s brother is intended as a message by these elements to send a signal to the government that they would violently resist all attempts to rein them in. And, that is precisely why all resources of will and effort must be called up to come down hard on such groups who kill and maim to further their own sinister designs.

A boost for Arafat

BELEAGUERED Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has received some welcome respite in recent days after being relentlessly targeted by the Israelis. Of late, Israeli leader Ariel Sharon has been on the rampage, mercilessly striking at Palestinian targets and singling out Arafat for attack. The Palestinian leader was dubbed ‘irrelevant’ by the Israelis who had decided to undermine his leadership — even to eliminate him physically. In recent days, however, Arafat seems to have bolstered his increasingly precarious position. For a start, the UN General Assembly gave him a resounding vote of confidence on Friday. An impressive 124 members out of 189 expressed the view that Arafat’s leadership was essential if the 15-month spate of violence in the region is to be halted. One resolution declared that the Palestinian Authority remains the indispensable and legal party for peace and should therefore be preserved. Another resolution called the Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas illegal and an obstacle to peace. Although the General Assembly resolutions have no binding force, the support expressed for the Palestinian leader represents a moral victory for him and for his people. Such global support will also be viewed as a rebuff to the US, which vetoed a recent Security Council resolution calling for foreign monitors in the troubled territory.

Another welcome development for the Palestinian leader is the decision by the militant group Hamas to declare that it would halt its campaign of suicide bombings within Israel. The surprise move came following a clampdown on the group by the Palestinian Authority after Israel had threatened dire consequences for Arafat if he failed to rein in Palestinian militancy. Hamas has obviously acted pragmatically because it realized that its actions were being used by Sharon to launch a frontal attack on the Palestinian nation as a whole. The move will come as great relief to Arafat. Israel’s attempt to sideline the Palestinian leader is a dangerous gambit which could create a vacuum and lead to a more militant leadership gaining control. The consequences could well plunge the region into deeper instability and more bloody bouts of violence.