Author: Chidanand Rajghatta, Times
News Network
Publication: The Times of India
- Internet Edition
Date: December 21, 2001
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1462244582
General Musharraf might deny it.
The Bush administration might refuse to acknowledge it. But as far as the
world media is concerned, Pakistan's role in nurturing and fomenting terrorism
is beyond doubt.
Contrary to the widespread belief
being built up in Pakistan that it is a victim of machiavellian Indian
propaganda, media reports across the world have begun identifying the country
as the source of terrorism.
Reports, editorials and commentaries
are increasingly beginning to take note of Musharraf regime's endorsement,
if not outright complicity, in terrorist activity against India, with calls
for action by the general against terrorist groups.
Notably, there are no buyers for
the rather absurd Pakistani theory that India stage-managed the attack
on its own Parliament to pin the blame on Pakistan. The Wall Street Journal
described the charge as laughable and The New York Times characterised
it as blithe. The Washington Post said India had "credibly blamed" Pakistan-based
terrorist groups.
"Every shred of evidence that discredits
an Islamic society--or those who would act in the name of Islam--is an
American fakery, done to slander Muslims, or a Jewish counterfeit, or,
as here, a monstrous Indian/Hindu trick," the WSJ noted in a commentary.
Newspapers also backed India's right
of self-defence and praised its restraint while putting the onus on Pakistan
and Musharraf to crack down on terrorist groups.
"Pakistan still hosts, trains and
arms terrorist groups like the ones believed to have carried out the attack
in New Delhi. President Musharraf has some serious explaining to do in
the next few days, as to what role Pakistani-based groups or the Pakistani
government played in the attack in New Delhi," The New York Post said in
an editorial.
The Boston Herald was even more
forthright, forsaking the kind of dissembling and doubt-mongering typical
of US officials. "The Indian government has solid evidence that Pakistan-based
terrorists are responsible for last week's attack on its parliament. If
Washington wants to avoid a war between two nuclear powers, it had better
pressure our new ally, the government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to crack
down on anti-Indian terrorism," it said.
But it was the editorial comments
in the policy-setting big two - The New York Times and Washington Post
- calling on Musharraf to act that weighed in most. Significantly, the
papers renounced the usual line that India should respond to Pakistan's
terrorism by agreeing to talk on Kashmir.
Indian officials are believed to
have impressed media pundits that the attack on Parliament goes beyond
Kashmir and strikes at the very root of Indian democracy and nationhood,
and that New Delhi will not be blackmailed into holding talks on Kashmir
at the point of gun.
Editorial support also came from
papers as far apart as the Japan Times and the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Extracts:
Cincinnati Post: It would be hypocritical
of the United States to tell India, in effect, that our war on terrorism
has to take precedence over their war on terrorism. At the same time, it's
only sound policy to head off a confrontation between two nuclear powers,
one dangerously angry, the other dangerously unstable.
Washington Post: Pakistani terrorist
groups long connected to both al Qaeda and the Taliban have been credibly
blamed by India for carrying out a suicide assault on the parliament building
in New Delhi. Fortunately, India's democratic government has reacted to
the assault with admirable restraint; though it has as much right as the
United States or Israel to defend itself against the extremists, it has
so far refrained from acting while waiting to see what Mr. Musharraf would
do. The Pakistani president has temporized, demanding to see evidence that
the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed groups were involved. If he can
act decisively in the coming weeks Mr. Musharraf could put Pakistan firmly
on a course to greater stability and renewed development. If he flinches,
he will likely face an even greater crisis.
Toronto Globe and Mail: Gen. Musharraf's
insistence that Pakistan's hands are clean in Thursday's attacks rings
a little hollow. His country's secret service has a long record of supporting
assorted Islamist extremists, most conspicuously Afghanistan's ousted Taliban
regime. If the general wishes to maintain U.S. support, he will heed the
stern advice from Washington and quickly move to crack down on terrorist
groups that operate with Pakistani support.
Japan Times: Pakistan's denials
are not very convincing. The best solution is action by Islamabad. President
Pervez Musharraf has promised to be a full participant in the war against
terrorism; that job is indivisible. To live up to that pledge he should
close the training camps for Muslim separatists that his intelligence services
operate.
The New York Times: Gen. Pervez
Musharraf must crack down on terrorist groups operating in his own country
or he may undermine his own rule as well as the American campaign against
terrorism.
