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Mumbai May Derail India-Pakistan Peace Progress
Even as the civilian death toll of the Mumbai attacks climbs, fallout from these terrorist actions threatens thawing relations between India and Pakistan.
The danger signals are already evident, as first reactions from the Indian government tended to blame "foreign" intervention, a code word for Pakistan. However, the prompt response from the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi indicates a willingness to stem the ratcheting of tensions between the two rival states.
Pakistan will send the head of its Inter Services Intelligence, Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, to India to help in the investigation. Referring to Lashkar-e-Tayaba, the group whose tactics in the past resemble those employed in the Mumbai attacks, Qureshi told an Indian press conference "we have no patience for such organizations" in Pakistan.
Pakistani civil society has been generally quiet in attacking religious extremism. Neither the government nor the military can successfully proceed against terrorism without public support. Yet, there are signs of hope. President Asif Ali Zardari recently offered to open up borders with India for visa-free travel and to eschew a first nuclear strike. Earlier this week, the Home Secretaries of India and Pakistan met in Islamabad and agreed to begin cooperating against terrorism and to bring the Federal Bureau of Investigations of Pakistan and the Central Bureau of Investigation of India in close contact to that end.
But the Mumbai attacks and India's response to them could derail the peace process -- presumably what the militants would want -- particularly if India's leaders attempt to tie homegrown militants to Pakistan-based Islamist groups or the Pakistani state.
India is preparing for a general election in 2009, which may account for tough talk by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Moreover, focusing on possible involvement of foreign groups in the Mumbai attacks may distract attention from the urgent need to resolve the underling issues of the Indian Muslim community that foster militancy among its youth.
Four out of every 10 Muslims in India's cities -- and three out of 10 in the countryside -- are living below the poverty line, according to the government-sponsored Sachar Commission Report of November 2006. One third of villages in India with a majority Muslim population do not have any educational institutions at all. As a result, Indian Muslims have not been able to benefit from the development and explosive growth of India's economy in recent years.
Economic and political deprivation may have spawned the Indian Mujahideen movement and its offshoot, the Students Islamic Movement of India. Those groups, in turn, may have had links to the extremist Lashkar-e-Tayyaba of Pakistan and its affiliate the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami of Bangladesh (HUJI). The tactics of the Mumbai attacks resemble Lashkar-e-Tayyaba operations: a swarming attack with handheld weapons and grenades, often timed with significant Indo-Pakistan peace talks or friendly actions.
What to do?
Both the Indian and Pakistani governments need to stay firmly on the path of peace. The costs of inaction are too high for both. Pakistan is fighting a huge insurgency on its western border. It cannot afford another hot border facing India. It is also worth recalling that of the 60 suicide bombings in Pakistan in 2007, 47 per cent were directed against the military, 20 per cent against the police, and 13 per cent against the government and politicians. Over 420 hundred military personnel and 220 civilians were killed in these attacks, according to figures compiled by the Ministry of Interior. Militancy and the military do not mix anymore.
India needs to quell the rise of its many internal insurgencies that jeopardize its development. It needs to focus on bringing Indian Muslims into the mainstream. Civil society in both countries, especially the leadership of Islamic organizations, need to speak out against terror in the name of Islam. At the recent meeting of the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, a leading Indian editor and poltiical analyst, M.J. Akbar, reminded those present of the Prophet Mohammed's injunction: "Islam has clearly laid down that killing one human being is like killing the entire humanity and saving one's life is like saving the entire humanity."
Muslims of the sub-continent need to mount a Jihad against terror and for peace between India and Pakistan. The alternative is likely to be more mayhem and chaos.
10 Comments so far
Show AllThe whole point of the Mumbai attacks probably was to stymie any progress toward peace or commom ground between India & Pakistan. And who was really encouraging and financing the shooters? You can't believe the usual blather from MSM "security experts" and "intelligence analysts". By the way, when is a terrorist not a terrorist? When he uses drones, missiles, and cluster bombs?
The MSM is already biased in its general reporting. Someone pointed out in another post that nothing about the civilian casualties was discussed. The US, Indian, and Pakistan governments armed the terrorists as far as I can tell. The MSM will do anything to avoid that truth.
That was said in 2006 when a subway in Mumbai exploded due to terrorists and peace talks never stopped. I think this incident will be put aside and peace talks will resume. However, Israel might be tempted to destroy what's left of Gaza sooner than later.
Terrance Mitchell
Redfield, South Dakota
Pre-emptive Strike: SETTING OBAMA'S PATH
Farhat Maquami
This administration would do anything to ensure the continuation of its policies for the next administration. To ensure this they would use any means at their disposal to stop the path of change in the US foreign policy. Mumbai could be one of them!
In the fading days of Bush administration what is a better way to start the Thanksgiving by an act of Pre-emptive Strike to derail the peace talk between India and Pakistan. That is why, until we find what really happened in 911, who really planned it, who benefited from it, who executed it, we should be doubtful about any assertion from the media as who is terrorizing the world.
When all major News media in the US suddenly start feeding the world about an act of terror right before Barrack Obama, another person who is like Bush inexperience and uneducated in the art of politics, makes his major appointments one should wonder what is being cooked in the political kitchen for world.
First there was this sudden financial wild fire and meltdown which finally by pushing Obama to the right he become the prime advocate of "Socialism for the Rich" by first signing on in what is going to be a 5 to 6 trillion dollars addition to the national Debt and appointing persons who are approved by the Wall Street. That is not change that is more of the same.
Now, by a seemingly well-organized, well-executed ,well financed plan that no one is claiming responsibility for it, just 911, we see another act of terror that could be the work of anyone but would be squarely put on Pakistan to derail any regional progress toward peace and keep tension high in the area. That is why anytime one is faced with such a tragedy one should ask who is the beneficiary of such an act and what could be an objective.
This act of terror would force Obama, who has no military experience, to search for protection and nothing would be safe unless FBI, CIA. Homeland Security, Pentagon and Defense could continue with the same policy. He has already nominated Bill Gate and would continue to keep more of the same. Movement to the right direction in Iraq and national policy would continue. Until those who have benefited from the War on Terror are satisfied that their business is protected and the profit would continue.
The way out of this vicious circle of terror is for Obama to declare to the world the rein of Terror would end in January and he would follow a policy of peace, coexistence and cooperation and respect for human rights have arrived. All kind of terrorism, as well as training for torture would stop and the United States of America would respect Human Rights and would stop branding all National Resistance to oppressive regimes as terrorist. Most important of all that he would reject Preemptive Strike.
The United States would leave Iraq and Afghanistan and would actively engage India to withdraw for Kashmir.
This is the only way we would bring peace and prosperity for the US and the world. This is the status quo ante, a world free from this senseless terrorism that Bush and his gang has superimposed on the world as "War on Terror," a never ending quest to control the world engulfed in a never ending quest of men to be free from oppression.
The Doctrine of pre-emptive strike has created many “lost souls” with virtually nothing to lose from Palestine to Pakistan from Morocco to Mumbai, from Aljazirah to Afghanistan who would be manipulated, fed, trained, by special forces and CIA operatives believing that they are fighting for and dying for whatever cause they are brainwashed to die for. These lost boys would blow themselves up in a Shia procession in Iraq, or go to a suicide mission anywhere, so long as their handler give them the green light. CIA has 2000 Mujahedin in the border with Iran and who knows how many others they overtly or covertly run anywhere in the world in which these trained lost souls are ready and willing to die for the CIA’s version of Allah.
Sioux Rose
NEXUS: Very profound and likely all too true analysis. Thanks for sharing it. I would LOVE to see Obama put into practice the true anti-terrorism initiative you delineate. The fastest way to end anything is to stop feeding it energy. It's about f--ing time, when real issues are at stake; but to advocate for alternatives to violence means the chief US employer--the military--has to be retooled for change (working to stem climate change) we CAN believe in. I will, however, believe it when I see it... I've been lied to too many times (by politicians).
YOU MUST BE KIDDING, there is no Al Queda. There are people oppressed, in refugee camps and can be manipulated by ant Special forces, then trained and believing they are fighting the right cause engage in a coordinated attack or become the lone rangers. They are used by the CIA to advance its policies. I toured the whole Middle East and no one cares and no one knows Al Quadea. Of those who know, 99 per cent believe it is a tool of the CIA and British intelligence to advance thier policies of occupation and control of the Middle East by Oppressive undemocratic regimes like Mobarak.
So please do not be manipulated by the US media they get their feed from the US intelligence. Now they decided to force Obama into a corner so to continue the policy of divide and rule and make India who has occupied Kashmir for the past 50 years start fighting or increase tension in order to off balance Obama and push him to the right!
Suddenly from out of nowhere, a previously unknown group (Deccan Mujahedeen) carries out a highly effective and well coordinated assault on one of the global economy's nerve centers. The group prepares no statement of intent nor makes any demands. The media labels it "India's 9/11" and emphasizes the attack's toll on Western and Jewish victims. Before the shooting stops the Indian government and U.S. intelligence services point the finger at Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Who's interests were ultimately served by America's 9/11? The US troops in Iraq and soon to be surged into Afghanistan are the answer to that question. Who's interests would be served by a war, even if it included a nuclear exchange, between India and Pakistan? The dire state of the US economy and US imperialism's flagging fortunes in the region should be considered.
If this tragic event had happened in Israel or the US, by now we'd be going after Pakistan by force. However, since it is happening in India, there's way too much discussion about "peace talks". India has been a very patient country and has yet suffered the greatest number of terror attacks, a lot of them worse than most of the ones in the US and Europe. I'm amazed that it hasn't been taken over by either the fundamentalist Christians or Muslims in all these years. However, I fear that a lot of us who want to learn from the Hindu culture will be unable to do so in the future if this keeps up.
What will you not be able to learn from the "Hindu culture"? There are more than 800 million Hindus in the world. They are not going anywhere. While they have a lovely culture worth studying, it is not a perfect model for humanity either. No culture is. There ARE Hindu extremists and there ARE "untouchables." There is great wealth inequality and the problem of India ruling Kashmire against he will of its majority. India MUST engage in peace talks or MORE of this will happen. Isn't that obvious??
So what has been going on in "peace talks" anyway, more bribery and corruption and why so many years? Now, I don't believe the two should fight each other especially since the global economy depends a lot on those two but I fail to see anything worth calling "success" in these so-called "peace talks". As for the Hindu culture, you sound like you're telling people not to learn anything about it and pick between Islam and Christianity. Just because it's not a perfect model doesn't mean they shouldn't study it. Besides, maybe there's a lot the Muslims and Christians might learn from it that their ancestors might have been afraid of, no? Maybe you can point us out some online tutorals on Hinduism and have us compare it to Islam and Christianity, no?
Jason Jordan
Sandpoint, Idaho