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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Has Ayodhya delivered a blow to Indo-pak ties? |
| 2005-07-06 |
| Any out-of-the box solution that Manmohan Singh government may have been considering on Pakistan has now gone right back into the box. Tuesdayâs suicide attack at Ayodhya may dent the political support for the peace process with Pakistan. The main Opposition party, BJP, is taking a relatively restrained approach for the time-being, waiting for government to come out with its reaction first, but the initial response of party chief L K Advani made it plain that its consent could come only in exchange of a strict â no terrorâ conditionality. There are several features of the attack that will play on the peace process. Despite the sketchy identification of the terrorists, it is now reasonably clear that it was the handiwork of ISIâs largest jehadi export: Lashkar-e-Taiba. Given the cozy links that the jehadi outfit continues to have with influential sections in the Pakistani establishment, the attack can only reinforce the growing perception that it continues to violate its most fundamental commitment of January 6, 2004 â to curb terrorism against India. The Ayodhya attack follows the past few weeks of deadly operations in J&K. The choice of the target, the disputed temple at Ayodhya, say top level sources in government, is little short of diabolical. It was aimed at creating communal strife, using what they thought was a failsafe tinderbox. Where the plot failed was in the lack of any civilian casualties, and a ââsuccessfulââ operation against terrorists by the security forces. But while it may have failed, the attack has constrained government from initiating any new CBM with Pakistan. Pakistan will surely invoke the ââdeniabilityââ principle, which would leave India with the onus of breaking off the peace process. This is a trap government clearly recognises and intelligence assessments are under way to ensure that blame is precisely pointed. Opposition will find it easy to target government on its ââsoftenedââ approach to terrorism â both the agreements signed by UPA government with Pakistan glossed over its commitment to end terrorism against India from ââany territory under its controlââ. The attack also puts US, the only country which has a foothold in this peace process, in a particularly strange situation. Coming as it does days before Manmohan Singh is scheduled to travel to US, it will make it immensely difficult for Washington to preach the propriety of peace to New Delhi. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #1 Has Ayodhya delivered a blow to Indo-pak ties? Does an outbreak of cancers delivers a blow to ties with a toxic waste dump? |
| Posted by: gromgorru 2005-07-06 08:59 |