Tags:
Journalism of Courage
If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was planning to raise the question of terrorism with world leaders at Gleneagles today, he has been spared of the extra diplomatic effort.
Heading to London, immediately after the attack on Ayodhya, terrorism, rather than the complex questions of technological choices on energy generation, must have been at the top of Singh’s mind.
The rush-hour attacks on innocent people in London are a rude reminder that the war on terrorism remains to be won. The coordinated attacks in London, amidst tight security for visiting heads of government, underline the reality that the war on terror remains the biggest political issue before the world.
Although there have been many warnings in recent months about potential attacks in major Western capitals, the London mayhem has once again demonstrated that the terrorist groups will always retain the initiative on both targets and timing.
As it faces terrorist attacks from diverse sources and directions, India has been trying to signal to the world as well as its neighbours not to take the challenge of terrorism lightly—with little effect until this week.
Even more important, jockeying among great powers had begun to undermine the global coalition against terrorism established in the wake of September 11.
One signal of the fragmentation has been the recent demand from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation led by China and Russia that the US set a date for its withdrawal from the military facilities in Central Asia it had acquired after September 11.
Russia, China and Pakistan also have concerns about the strategic partnership agreement the US and Afghanistan signed a few weeks ago. Russia and China, which supported the US after September 11, now seem to be developing second thoughts about its military presence in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
The disarray in the international coalition against terrorism is bound to have serious consequences for India’s security environment. Of special concern for New Delhi is the resurgence of the Taliban, which in recent days has staged some serious attacks deep inside Afghanistan.
If the Taliban gathers momentum amidst great power divisions and support from across the border in Pakistan terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir will be further energised. On his way to London, Singh gently reminded Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that continuing terrorist attacks in India will undermine public support to the current positive engagement with Pakistan. The peace process, then, will no longer look “irreversible”.
For India, the Ayodhya attacks highlight the importance of sustained actions by Islamabad to root out the sources of terrorism inside Pakistan. Meanwhile the US has been stepping up pressure on Musharraf to take action against the Taliban and other terrorist groups operating on Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan.
While applying more pressure on Islamabad, India must also offer greater bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism and on accelerating the peace process.
When he travels to Washington in ten days, Singh will have an opportunity to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan with President Bush and potential new cooperation between India and the US.
India also faces Maoist terror on its northern borders and from a variety of sources on its eastern frontiers. To combat these threats, India needs the renewal of the global coalition as well as greater regional cooperation in the subcontinent.After Ayodhya and London that should be the main foreign policy message from the PM.
