Former Indian high commissioner to Islamabad, G Parthasarthy, tells TSI this is the best chance for India to mobilise international opinion against Pakistan Is Pakistan involved in the Mumbai attacks?
All
evidences point to the ISI and Pakistan's role, even perhaps a larger organisation could be behind it.
What should India do?
Get more international pressure on Pakistan. Get more international opinion on its side. Tell the world that while aggression is not what we want, India should reserve the right to strike across the international border if terrorists, from let's say the Lashkar-e-Taiyaba, strike in any part of the country again. That should be conveyed to the world. There should be no ambiguity about it.
Is Pakistan likely to take international opinion seriously? Traditionally they have tended to believe that there are limits to international opinion.
This time they do not have many
options. Too many nationals from various countries have been killed in the terror attack. There are many countries involved. This is the right time to mobilise international opinion in India’s favour. Interests of many countries coincide on this issue.
Some say Pakistan has played its cards well. It has told the US that it would have no option but to deploy its 100,000 troops on its western border with Afghanistan and redeploy them on its eastern frontier with India, should New Delhi decide to get belligerent. In other words, they are telling the US that their war on terror in Afghanistan will be compromised in a military conflagration with India.
It all depends upon how we play our cards. International opinion is on our side. In my view, India should get the US to move the UN Security Council under section 1373. Pakistan’s hands would be forced....Continue
All
evidences point to the ISI and Pakistan's role, even perhaps a larger organisation could be behind it.What should India do?
Get more international pressure on Pakistan. Get more international opinion on its side. Tell the world that while aggression is not what we want, India should reserve the right to strike across the international border if terrorists, from let's say the Lashkar-e-Taiyaba, strike in any part of the country again. That should be conveyed to the world. There should be no ambiguity about it.
Is Pakistan likely to take international opinion seriously? Traditionally they have tended to believe that there are limits to international opinion.
This time they do not have many
options. Too many nationals from various countries have been killed in the terror attack. There are many countries involved. This is the right time to mobilise international opinion in India’s favour. Interests of many countries coincide on this issue.Some say Pakistan has played its cards well. It has told the US that it would have no option but to deploy its 100,000 troops on its western border with Afghanistan and redeploy them on its eastern frontier with India, should New Delhi decide to get belligerent. In other words, they are telling the US that their war on terror in Afghanistan will be compromised in a military conflagration with India.
It all depends upon how we play our cards. International opinion is on our side. In my view, India should get the US to move the UN Security Council under section 1373. Pakistan’s hands would be forced....Continue
