India has won the first round in the war against terror. But there is a long way to go to ensure against a repeat of the Mumbai attacks.
India has won the first round in the war against terror. But there is a long way to go to ensure against a repeat of the Mumbai attacks. The Indian government is happy that its sustained pressure on Islamabad paid off. But India wants to ensure the crackdown in Pakistan eliminates chances of another attack, by destroying what it refers to as “terror infrastructure”.
This was evident in India’s response to Pakistan handing over a report of its investigation to queries it handed over to Islamabad on January 5. Pakistan’s foreign secretary handed over the report to Indian high commissioner Satyabrata Pal in Islamabad on Thursday.
In its official response, the Pakistan authorities admitted elements in Pakistan were involved in the terrorist attacks on Mumbai. They are investigating the attacks, and have taken action, including the arrest of some involved, and filing a first information report. This is a positive development.
India said it was willing to examine Pakistan’s 30 questions and share its findings. New Delhi’s response to Islamabad’s report has been mature. It knows the world’s eyes are on India and Pakistan, and it will not pay to act churlish. The idea is to continue applauding Islamabad’s efforts and push it to do more. The challenge for India will be to mobilize international opinion so that terrorists do not get another opportunity to strike.
“It is a good start,” said strategic analyst K Subrahmanyam.
“The door has opened. It is now up to us and the international community to push it further,” he added.
Hardline analyst Bharat Karnad appreciated Islamabad’s stand. “I have not seen the details, but on the face of it Pakistan has been straightforward in its response and it is satisfactory. The investigators have tracked the money link and the communication network, which is important.”
The government took stock of the situation at a meeting attended by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram, defence minister AK Antony and National Security Adviser MK Narayanan. Chidambaram later told reporters: “It is a positive development. The dossier provided by India was a very cogent document and Pakistan could in no way ignore it.”
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