Author: Editorial
Publications: The Navhind Times
Dated: September 21, 2001
Musharraf was being practical and
realistic. His address to the nation on Wednesday did not leave anyone
in doubt about Pakistan's miserable situation. Much of what he said about
India of course could be cut off as slanderous propaganda, but then he
was not very off the mark when he said if Pakistan had not fully supported
the international community in its campaign against terrorism India would
have taken the initiative and harmed its national and strategic interests.
General Musharraf's view that India would have used the opportunity to
get Pakistan declared as a terrorist state was also not far-fetched. If
Pakistan would have refused to co-operate with the international community
the focus of global wrath would have fallen upon it as well as Afghanistan.
The scenario the Pakistani President
presented before his people was very realistic. Pakistan has already been
isolated from the international community due to harbouring terrorist groups
which serve its national interests of bleeding India. Even at the cost
of being called a safe haven for terrorists, however, Pakistan had been
continuing with it, because the world was far from a decision to take action
against them on the ground. It is only after the terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington that the world is preparing to launch military and
non-military offensive against terrorism in the region. Otherwise, only
India was troubled by terrorism exported by Pakistan. And deaths and massacres
in India do not provoke the western countries and the rest of the world
to vow to rid the evil of terrorism.
General Musharraf knew that a refusal
by him to co-operate with the US on counter-terrorism would bring the terrorist
camps in his country under attack. What was worse, India would have grabbed
the initiative and set up an axis with the US to attack Pakistan, and that,
as a Pakistani newspaper said, would have proved the "last straw on the
camel's back." General Musharraf must have shuddered to think what would
happen to Pakistan if it supported the Taliban and protected Osama bin
Laden at all costs. Perhaps those who were saying this was the worst crisis
for Pakistan since 1971 were not wrong. It would have been difficult for
Pakistan to survive an onslaught of a united world against terrorism. If
it had insisted on standing by its ally and political creation, the Taliban,
both the countries would have been ravaged by war.
However, in his address to the nation
on Wednesday, General Musharraf overplayed his card against India. A good
part of his address was devoted to portray India as the devil, India as
a country waiting to damage the interests of Pakistan's national security,
India as a country longing to destroy the nuclear arsenal his country has,
India as a country that is dying to offer the United States full military
facilities for an attack on Afghanistan transiting Pakistani airspace.
"It is very important that while the entire world is talking about this
horrible terrorist attack, our neighbouring country (India), instead of
talking peace and cooperation, was trying hard to harm Pakistan and defame
Islam,'' he said.
The demonising of India was intended
to rally the Pakistani people behind him. India has categorically denied
that it offered its military bases or its involvement in joint military
operations against terrorism to the US. But General Musharraf made it a
point to repeat this lie in his address to the nation. Then there is certainly
no truth in his allegation that India wants to harm Pakistan's national
security. India just wants that the terrorist camps being run in Pakistan
are wound up and that Pakistan must stop sponsoring terrorism.
It is doubtful how long General
Musharraf will be able to do both the things at the same time: harbour
terrorism as well as fight terrorism. Either he stops harbouring and exporting
terrorism or he never seriously joins a war against terrorism. Even after
declaring his "unstinted support" to counter-terrorism, General Musharraf's
worries are not over. The world will now expect him to show his commitment
by closing down those terrorist camps in his country.
