Perfidious neighbour

Author: Editorial
Publication: Newstime
Date: November 25, 2000
 
Nabbing of four Pakistani terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba who had arrived in Thane, a city on the outskirts of Mumbai metropolis, on a mission to blast the residence of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, the 'RSS headquarters in Nagpur and other select targets like oil installations is yet another reminder that this country cannot afford to lower guard against a perfidious neighbour bent on creating havoc of communal disturbances and economic ruin in India through a ceaseless campaign of terror, violence and destruction. The police in Maharashtra deserve praise for processing intelligence meticulously and taking follow-up action to capture the Pakistani operatives, including the area commander of Lashkar for Maharashtra and southern states, Hamza Ali and also recovering material regarding their nefarious mission. Eight years have passed since the terrible riots Mumbai had witnessed in the wake of the demolition of Babri Masjid and the obnoxious Pakistani agency, ISI, is obviously itching to foment trouble. According to Maharashtra home minister Chhagan Bhujbal, the material recovered by police from the Pakistani terrorists indicates master plans to create communal trouble through attacks on targets like Thackeray's residence and the RSS headquarters as also economic havoc by bombing key oil installations like Bombay High and the naval area in Mumbai. These plans are of a piece with the dirty tricks ISI had tried in the past to trigger riots and destabilise the Indian economy. Around the time the ISI master-minded the Kathmandu-Kandahar caper to secure release of terrorists from Indian jails, there was a campaign to pump fake currency into India. Time and again Pakistan has resorted to treachery against India. The Pakistani military which was then led by the current 'Chief Executive' of that country, General Musharraf, was planning the Kargil intrusion even while the Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was welcoming Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's peace mission to Lahore. There has been no let-up in the bloodshed unleashed in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of an unholy jehad though Musharraf keeps parroting insincere offers of talks, any time, anywhere' to resolve the Kashmir dispute though India has maintained that there must be an end to the campaign of terrorism and hostile propaganda to create an atmosphere conducive to talks. Most countries in the world may be having some problems with their neighbours but Pakistan's must be a unique instance of a country following a rabid campaign of murder and mayhem waged without recess through dogs of war sent from across the border. India has only recently announced a unilateral offer of ceasefire during the month of Ramzan in a bid to seek peace in Kashmir and Prime Minister Vajpayee has reiterated the government's firm resolve to give the idea a trial despite opposition from a few critics at home (like Thackeray). Such an initiative should be pursued at a political fever but that does not have to mean slackness in the vigil against sabotage and violence. The security forces in Kashmir can observe a holiday from operations against militants but there should be no let-up in the vigil against, say, attacks by militants on camps of security forces in the Valley.
 

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