India could use the Jaipur bombings of Tuesday to create a crisis with Pakistan, something the United States might encourage it to do, given its unease with the new Pakistani governmentÂ’s decision to negotiate with the Taliban and religious extremist elements, according to a commentary published here.
Stratfor, a US-based news intelligence service, writes that prior to the diplomatic process that took off in late 2003, New Delhi would accuse Islamabad of abetting terrorism. However, as part of an effort to normalise relations, the Indians have since limited their claims that the Pakistanis were falling short in preventing cross-border terrorism. The difference between the older stance versus the more recent stance is significant. In the past, India could not afford to continue with routine diplomacy. Will it revert to the old rhetoric is a question that remains to be answered. The US is having its own problems with the new Pakistani government. Washington is uneasy over the fact that either through weakness or through policy, Islamabad may try to reach an accommodation with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, not to split the Taliban, but to reduce the threat to Pakistan, something that will directly affect American interests in Pakistan.
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