After the Mumbai blasts, it seems the government has fired duds on practically all fronts, at the local level, the national level, and now the international level.
The pusillianimity of the government was obvious when none of the three most important people responsible for internal security, the PM, the Home Minister and the National Security Advisor, were unwilling to take names and take a firm stand on the tragedy. More than anything, the people of Mumbai, as resolute and spirited as they were, were angry and wanted to see results.
I believe I have talked about the UPA's reluctance to accept the fact that home grown terrorism is a reality, and while the initial clues pointed to SIMI, the blame shifted to their lords and masters in Pakistan. However, whats embarrassing for the government, and insulting to the common citizen, is that the government has come a cropper in finding any evidence linking Pakistan to it. In fact, other than firing in the dark in all directions, I don't think this government has achieved anything concrete.
One would think that after such a horrendous tragedy and with world sympathy on its side, India would be able to get the world to see its side of terrorism, but like every other department, this government has failed miserably in diplomacy too. Other than the usual "we condemn the blasts and stand by India.." words, India has been able to do nothing at the recent G-8 summit in Russia. I believe the Prime Minister should not have gone at all, since it was only a week after the blasts, but he chose to go, probably in the hope of earning some diplomatic points, but I believe the reason he went was to escape the criticism at home.
Its unfortunate that such a brilliant individual as the PM is controlled by a woman who could have changed the face of this country with her power and influence, but who instead chooses to cling to power with all the shenanigans that she is able to muster up. Its unfortunate that the PM has to rule over a cabinet that has no coordination, and dozens of personal agendas, and a no common vision.
Either the Government has no idea how to run a country, or they are willing to go to any lengths, including jeopardizing our sovereignty, to secure the muslim votes for the next elections. Their war is not with poverty, hunger, terrorism, but their war is with their political rivals in UP and the BJP. While Mulayam and Congress have absolutely no concern for anything else but the vote of the UP Muslim, UPA's first concern on the national level is that no matter what happens, BJP should not get political mileage out of any tragedy.
Anyways, the governments of India after PV Narasimha Rao never really had any balls, and Pakistan knows it, the terrorists they support know it, and the home-grown terrorists who have thrived in this conducive environment know it. Oh, did I mention the gentle pat on the wrists when the Government cancelled secretary level talks between India and Pak? Oh I am sure that must have hurt.
Peace process intact as India, Pak hold border talks
Despite a bad patch in relations between the governments of the two countries since last week's bomb blasts in Mumbai, Indian and Pakistani officials met on Wednesday to discuss ways to beef up border security and combat smuggling.
The talks between the border security officials at the Wagah border check post came days after India postponed a meeting of foreign secretaries due this week in New Delhi to review progress in a peace process begun over 2 years ago.
Border security consultations take place every three months, and are not part of the "composite dialogue" -- negotiations on a range of political disputes including the core issue of Kashmir.
Although there has been no breakthrough yet in investigations into the Mumbai attacks, the suspicions have fallen on Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Pakistan has condemned the Mumbai blasts and President Pervez Musharraf has warned any stalling in the peace process was what the "terrorists" wanted.
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As for India's stance internationally, well, they had no idea what they were doing anyways.
No takers for Govt's Pak-hand theory
More than a week since terror ripped Mumbai apart, India's inability to produce concrete evidence against Pakistan has rendered its attempts to trap the usual suspect rather feeble. While Pakistan is widely accepted as the fountainhead of terror in the subcontinent, India has been roundly ticked off by the US for not gathering enough proof against its neighbour on the Mumbai blasts.
That Islamabad has been the gainer in this round is evident in the unequivocal praise heaped on Pakistan by the Americans for its fight against terror. This, along with a rather general "condemnation" from the G-8, instead of a decisive rap on Pakistan's knuckles, has fed the impression that India's may be a case of cry wolf after all.
Islamabad has turned the occasion to its diplomatic advantage to impress upon the international community that Pakistan is a bogey raised by the Indian leadership to cover up the failure of its security agencies to nab the real home-grown terrorists residing in the very heart of Mumbai.
A chastened Manmohan Singh on his return from St Petersburg on Tuesday, therefore, said, "I have always believed the destiny of the people of South Asia are closely inter-linked," and that "Both our countries need peace and stability."
This is a significant humbling since the Prime Minister's public posturing in Mumbai last Friday, where, in a rather delayed reaction, he had warned Pakistan that "If the acts of terrorism are not controlled, it is exceedingly difficult for any Government to carry forward what may be called as normalisation and peace process." He had also said, "We are certain that these terror modules are instigated, inspired and supported by elements across the border."
Eventually the G-8 leaders only threw in their lot with India because "terrorism ... constitutes a threat to each of our country, as well as to international peace and security."
Meanwhile, in a stern rebuff, a middle-level officer in the Bush Administration suggested India should rely on hard evidence before pointing fingers. "I know there's a lot of speculation out there now.... But I think we need to be led by the evidence before we start trying to draw conclusions and make policy pronouncements on it," US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said.
Gloating over this commendation, Pakistan Foreign Minister Mahmud Kasuri said, "The US, European Union and other leading countries are not so stupid as to pay public compliments if they think Pakistan is actually running (terrorist) training camps albeit not for Afghanistan but Kashmir, because in the ultimate analysis, it all gets linked."
Lack of proof against Pakistan in the Mumbai case has therefore left the Prime Minister with weak formulations phrases like the dialogue process has "suffered," and that we should "reflect on our relations with Pakistan."
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So look at it this way, the UPA is unwilling to accept that anything is wrong with the country. The people are angry so they needed to do something. After much deliberation and many conflicting statements from its fragmented leadership, they say Pakistan did it, but since they have managed to destroy our internal security and intelligence apparatus, they were unable to produce evidence, and Prime Minister went to Russia for support, and didnt get any.
And since there is nothing wrong with the country, and accusing some Indians of being traitors is just a ploy by the BJP because they hate Muslims. Right? So there is no harm in mollycoddling with the enemy. Mulayam's doing it, BJP's doing it, so why not the UPA?
Cong, NCP wooing SIMI cadres
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in power in Maharashtra have been actively wooing SIMI's former members with an eye on the town's 35 per cent Muslim population. Even when the local police periodically rounds them up following incidents like the recent Mumbai bomb blasts.
Thanks to the efforts of these political parties, Javed Qureshi, a prominent SIMI activist from here, has even managed two terms as Councillor in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation. Qureshi represented the Congress as councillor from 2001 after the ban on SIMI. He switched loyalties to the NCP last year after being denied a ticket in order to retain his seat.
According to Qureshi(41), he left SIMI when he turned 30 as per the organisation's rules. However, he did not entirely severe his links with the organisation. A member of a prominent business family here, Qureshi played a major role in organising SIMI's Ikhwana Conference in 1999. Fiery speeches by speakers at the conference denouncing the Babri Masjid provoked the 5,000 or so attendees to clash with police.
The A.D. Mane Commission of Inquiry set up to probe the lathi charge came up with startling information about the speeches made at the conference. The Maharashtra Government sat on the report till September 2001 when in the aftermath of the attack on New York's World Trade Centre, SIMI activists here openly expressed support for Osama bin Laden.
Qureshi is unapologetic about the support for bin Laden as well. “They (SIMI activists) said Osama is our brother in a manner that all Muslims are brothers,” says Qureshi.
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