Pakistan's president Musharraf can no longer deny it: the world can see skeleton after skeleton coming out of Pakistan's terrorist cupboard.
It is there for the whole world to see - skeleton after skeleton coming out of Pakistan's terrorist cupboard. Pakistan is a terrorist state.
US President Bush knows about it. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair knows about it. They are clearly embarrassed. They are, however, helpless. They have entered into an unholy alliance and they have no go but to stick to it. They cannot come down heavily on a man who has helped them in their campaign to dismantle the Taliban and capture Osama dead or alive.
They cannot, however, ignore the fact that Pakistan is swarming with terrorists. Terrorist who have participated directly or indirectly in violent attacks on the US and other democratic countries. And the prime hand behind terrorism is Pakistan's ISI.
The ISI activities have been exposed. First Mr. Musharraf sacked the ISI chief. And now he has ordered the closing of the ISI wing which was directly operation in Kashmir.
So it was no freedom struggle that was being waged in Kashmir. It was a proxy war. And this has been going on for the last ten years - not just during the regime of Mr. Musharraf, even when Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were ruling Pakistan. They too had harboured and promoted terrorists.
ISI activities
If investigations are carried out, we are likely to find that ISI had all the time carrying on destabilisation activities not only in Kashmir but also in different parts of the country. It is certain Dawood Ibrahim had full assistance from the ISI for carrying out bomb blasts in Mumbai. It is evident that the ISI has been looking for unemployed, and disgruntled young men in India with a view to making them work for Pakistan.
And it is certain that it will come out in a new avatar and carry on its hate campaign. The ISI Kashmir wing might be closed but is not going to stop its arms and money assistance to its friends in Kashmir. Friends like the - Hurriyat conference, for instance.
What happened in Kashmir was a struggle all right, but is was not a freedom struggle. It was a struggle by Pakistan to grab Kashmir.
And the terrorists are safe in Pakistan which has become a big base for terror. It is said that Osama and Omar are also hiding in Pakistan.
Mr. Musharraf has done some pathetic cosmetic exercise to curb terrorism. He wants to be seen as being anti-terror. He has no go but to do this. He is a member of the global coalition against terror.
But it all an eyewash.
Mr. Musharraf is reported to have kept the Jaish chief under house arrest.
Why should the terrorist need this special treatment ?
It is certain that this dreaded terrorist is given all facilities to keep in touch with his henchmen in India, plan fresh mass killings, to prepare bombs, to arrange money for the "freedom fighters" in Kashmir. Merely arresting him is not enough.
And then Musharraf has also arrested some 150 terrorists. And it is hilarious that they have all been arrested on flimsy grounds. As Prime Minister Vajpayee has correctly asked: "How many of those arrests have had a hand in the violent operations in India?" Mr.Musharraf says all these terrorists will be tried under Pakistan laws.
Mr. Musharraf is not going to hand over any terrorist to India.
He says he wants evidence of their crime.
The bodies of five persons killed during the parliament attack provide the evidence. They were Pakistanis.
Who planned this murder mission ?
India has given a list with names of 20 terrorists wanted in India. Pakistan wants evidence of their crime.
Pakistan's vision
That's what Maulana Omar, the Taliban chief said when President Bush asked him to hand over Osama bin Laden. And Omar said he would do that if President Bush provided the evidence.
President Bush never thought of meeting Omar and having talks with him. He straightaway dismantled the Taliban. And they are now asking our Prime Minister Vajpayee to have talks with the no. one terrorist Musharraf at Kathmandu. They keep asking Mr. Vajpayee to exercise restraint.
There were some sections of people particularly in West Asia - who asked President Bush to exercise restraint and refrain from bombing and killing innocent Afghan people - women and children. But President Bush had no go, but to declare a war on terrorism. If he did not do that, if he went about searching for evidence, the Taliban and terrorist Osama would have another opportunity to carry out more attacks on the US.
If we exercise restraint and do not take adequate steps - it need not be war - we will never be safe.
It is a question of safety and survival - a matter of life and death.
Pakistan stands exposed. Everybody knows now that Mr. Musharraf cannot be trusted. As he has himself said "Pakistan has a vision, it will change, but we will keep changing the means." It is not difficult to see what his vision is: he wants to grab Kashmir.
Mr. Musharraf not only harbours terrorists, but he also uses them to achieve his "vision". After the Sept. 11 attack, President Bush had declared: "We regard not only those who have attacked us as terrorists, but also those who are harbouring them".
Looking back, we see how the Congress government by its soft policy precipitated bloody crises in Kashmir. At that time, our government only hinted at a foreign hand. The entire Pakistani operations could have been nipped in the bud, if only our government was awake, alert and active. We let the situation snowball into a formidable problem.
President Musharraf has a big chance to set his nation on a new course, renounce terrorism and settle for finding a solution to the Kashmir problem through peaceful negotiations.
For doing this, he has to change
his "vision".