This
is an amazing time to be in India. Last week, tensions here heated
white hot when Pakistan refused to hold long overdue talks with India
about the former’s role in the Mumbai terror attacks. At the same
time, the government continued its offensive against communist rebels
who have been terrorizing this country for decades; and the Maoists for
the first time cried “Uncle.” Shortly after the Indo-Pak talks
were on again (albeit with the two countries disagreeing on their
content), terror struck.
Indians
awoke Sunday morning to read about a major Islamist terror attack in
the West Indian city of Pune, and industrial hub of more than five
million people, that killed nine and injured scores. Security here
went on high alert—something I can testify to having taken a domestic
flight here later that day. More importantly, security forces were
able to foil two impending attacks; one communist, one
Islamist. Then on Monday, terror struck again. Lashkar e
Taibe, the Islamic terror group responsible for the Mumbai and other
terror attacks here, carried out another operation, this time in the
disputed region of Kashmir. Then, later that day, the communists,
known here as Naxalites and perhaps desperate after being knocked back
on their heels by the governments offensive, attacked an army camp in
the state of West Bengal, where I am located at the moment. The
last was a particularly gruesome surprise attack while the soldiers
were at rest, and which saw several burned alive, many gunned down, and
the wounded carted off as hostages.
Also
on Monday, Indian-Pakistan tensions rose again as Indian officials
investigating the Pune blasts continued gathering evidence from the
scene. They tentatively concluded that while local terrorists,
known as Indian Mujahedeen, carried out the attack, they did so with
support and direction from elements in Pakistan. At the same time,
American terrorist David Headley told his captors that Pakistani
intelligence (ISI) has been engaged in a project to train jihadists for
attacks in India. Known as the “Karachi Project,” after the city
in Pakistan, the ISI would shuttle Indian allies to Pakistan, train
them, and return them to India where they were to await further orders.
And
the most dramatic events occurred over a period of only two
days. But from an American’s point of view, the most amazing—and
confounding—thing came from US Senator John Kerry. The Chairman of
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told The Wall Street Journal “’The
right thing is to talk; you lose nothing by talking,’" Sen. Kerry (D.,
Mass.) said while on a visit to the Indian capital en route to
Islamabad. If India finds a Pakistani link to the Pune attack, “’I hope
India will have that conversation with Pakistan and, if they have
evidence to that effect, that should be the first thing on the table
and Pakistan has to deal with it,’” he added.
Kerry
completely ignores the fact that the very attitude he counsels is in
part responsible for the current rise in tensions and loss of
life. There certainly is much to lose in talking as President
Obama’s current “engagement” with Iran demonstrates. India has
been demanding that Pakistan turn over Mumbai terrorists living in the
Islamic Republic and come clean in the role Pakistanis played in those
and other terror attacks. Talks, in fact, are all they have been
able to get, and they have stood as a substitute for action, leaving
the murderers of 166 people free.
India
at this moment is facing terror from jihadists and radical communists;
and today an Al Qaeda communiqué warned foreign sports teams that they
would face terror attacks should they come to scheduled tournaments in
India. Citizens here do not know when or where the next strike
will be.
And
Kerry says the solution is talks? No doubt representing the views
of the Obama administration as well, Kerry is sending a message to the
front lines of this war that appeasement is the way. His comments
cement impressions that the US favors Pakistan in this conflict
(sending it billions in aid) and cannot be relied on as an ally in the
war against communists or jihadists. People are taking
notice.
Posted on 02/16/2010 6:20 AM by Richard L. Benkin
