New Delhi reacted to Osama bin Laden’s killing by terming it the ``end of the Fourth Afghan War’’ and hoping the end of operations against the Al Qaida leader ``deep inside Pakistan’’ would now compel Islamabad to effectively prosecute those involved in the Mumbai terror attacks of late 2008.
But there was little exultation over bin Laden’s death as top officials in South Block attempted to work out its implications on Indian foreign policy. ``It was [a] great operation…proves what we thought…now we have to await the consequences,’’ said high level sources.
By consequences, they meant whether this would be the watershed moment for U.S. President Barack Obama to put plans for withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in high gear. They also hoped that Pakistan would be suitably chastised and embarrassed by the end of the biggest man hunt in recent world history right at the edges of their national capital to end its policy of keeping militant networks alive as an insurance policy.
"A watershed moment"
Another top official pointed out that bin Laden’s death could be a watershed moment in the struggle against the variety of militant Islam that propagates a unified world-wide Muslim nation. ``But the struggle hasn’t ended though this was a development the world was waiting for,’’ cautioned the official.
For the record, External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram drew attention to U.S. claims that bin Laden had been sheltered in a compound near Islamabad and made the point about continuance of safe sanctuaries in Pakistan which led militants to intermittently derail bilateral ties with India through deadly attacks targeting soft targets in bazaars, mass transportation utilities and hotels.
``The world must not let down its united effort to overcome terrorism and eliminate the safe havens and sanctuaries that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood,’’ observed Mr. Krishna. He also noted that the operation to eliminate the Al Qaida operation took place ``deep inside Pakistan’’, meaning Islamabad would have a hard time explaining how a person being targeted by the world community for a decade was living in an area that, unlike the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is totally under the control of the Pakistan’s security and other administrative organs.
Mr. Chidambaram expanded on the location of bin Laden’s killing to highlight the Indian security apparatus’ ``concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan’’ as also to urge civilian Government in Islamabad to deliver on Indian demands for prosecuting those accused for the Mumbai attacks.
``We once again call upon the Government of Pakistan to arrest the persons whose names have been handed over to the Interior Minister of Pakistan as well as provide voice samples of certain persons who are suspected to be among the controllers and handlers of the terrorists,’’ the Minister said in a statement. Pakistan has arrested seven for plotting the Mumbai terror attacks while 20 have been declared proclaimed offenders.
Keywords: Osama bin Laden, Ministry of External Affairs, Union Home Ministry
No comments:
Post a Comment