The New Indian ExpressFirst Published : 18 May 2011 10:45:00 PM ISTLast Updated : 17 May 2011 11:14:37 PM IST
Just as New Delhi had treated somewhat casually Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir’s post-Abbottabad fulminations, including the outrageous assertion that the issue of bringing the 26/11 perpetrators to justice was outdated, it has again tried to downplay ISI chief, Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s hostile remarks of having identified the sites which Pakistan will target if India undertakes an Abbottabad-type operation. Pasha has even said that Pakistan’s response has been rehearsed although it is not clear what he meant. What is clear is that our neighbour is behaving in a more demented fashion than ever before.
Even if this palpably abnormal conduct is the result of the disorientation caused by the US raid on Osama bin Laden’s lair, India cannot afford to lower its guard. The need to be careful is all the greater because it was speculated immediately after Osama’s death that Pakistan might indulge in some kind of military adventurism against India to offset the humiliation it has suffered before its own people. Besides, there is every possibility of the ISI urging its terrorist clients to step up attacks on India, which it apparently wanted to do during the cricket world cup matches. It is unfortunate, therefore, that the various post-26/11 proposals to deal with such threats are yet to be implemented, with the failure to set up a national counter-terrorism centre the most regrettable.
It is undeniable that India’s habit of waking up too late to external threats has a long history — from Jawaharlal Nehru’s futile courtship of Zhou Enlai during the Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai days to Shivraj Patil’s “spectacularly inept” stint at the home ministry, to quote WikiLeaks, which left the country open to terror attacks virtually every month on markets, temples and trains. Given the frenetic manner in which Pakistan is building up its nuclear arsenal — it already has more warheads than India — and its refusal to adhere to the no-first-use doctrine, India cannot afford to brush aside the tirades of the Bashirs and Pashas as the ranting and raving of frustrated individuals
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