July 18, 2005
 

The lip service begins

As it becomes increasingly evident that not one, but three of the bombers who terrorized London two weeks ago visited Pakistan, the country's reputation as a safe haven for terrorists and the involvement of the government and military establishments is at last being unmasked by the global media. Indians have known about it for more than two decades now, essentially starting from the early 1980s. Better late than never, I suppose.

Hordes of media personnel from other countries have descended in Pakistan to try and establish the linkages between the suspects and Pakistan's hate flaming institutions, including madrassas and the military. Pakistan's ambassador to the UN pins the blame on Britain, claiming that it didnt do enough to integrate Muslims into the mainstream and that Pakistan was certainly not responsible for the actions of disenchanted British Muslims. I've just picked myself off the floor, having been rolling on the floor laughing much to the amusement of my colleagues here, after reading his comment "We have suffered from terrorism more than anybody else. Pakistan is doing all it can."

Even as Pervez Musharraf launched a hasty crackdown on banned outfits, there is scepticism amongst his own countrymen about the effect. Of course, I really dont think anything will result from his crackdown. He must be getting used to these sort of crackdowns, given that he seems to say these things so often. It is merely lip service to ward off international attention for the present. The terrorists keep surfacing after going underground for a couple of months only to assume different names, identities and modus operandis but with the same ideologies and funding.

As I wrote last week, it is unfortunate that Britain has come face-to-face with the reality about Pakistan's role in international terrorism, its biggest export, a few radioactive elements included. The best thing that can happen for the world is if Islamabad's involvement in global terror is systematically exposed. For that to happen, those appreciating Pakistan's role as an ally in the war on terror will have to take the blinkers off and smell the coffee.

Labels: musharraf, pakistan, uk