Ram's Cafe

There were some people who had this faint hope that perhaps the people who were killed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks did not die in vain after all. These people hoped that perhaps now that the world's attention was firmly focused on Pakistan and that a Pakistani citizen was actually caught in the act (a rare occurrence in terrorist attacks, indeed), Pakistan would be forced to take action and do some serious house cleaning. I was one of those who was encouraged by statements from the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, and thought that this time around things are going to be different - because this is a different government, and the President himself is a victim of terrorism, having lost his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto to a terrorist assassination. I have also read some columns in the newspaper 'Indian Express' by Hussain Haqqani during the Musharraf years arguing that the Pakistani military has done more harm than good to the country. Even now, I do not doubt the sincerity of Haqqani - national ambassadors do not often come across as trustworthy on television - but this man does, at least in my opinion.

All that said, the crux of the problem seems to be the reality in Pakistan. It clearly seems that the Pakistani military has not really accepted the notion that it, like any professional military, has to be at the command of the elected, civilian leadership. No, not in Pakistan. It is too deeply entrenched in power play, that I do not see how any real change can come about without a new generation of leadership in the Pakistani military - a generation that is not corrupted by propganda and religious fanaticism. Even more worrying is the national psyche of Pakistan - it seems so easy to rally the whole country, including the 'educated elite', around a perceived 'threat' from India. All it takes is the mention of a possible Indian military action, and the Army is firmly back in business as the custodian of national security and identity. When even the educated elite and the media in Pakistan cannot demand a fundamental change in the approach of the Pakistani government towards the various terrorist groups freely operating within Pakistan, and, more importantly, for civilian control over its military, where is the hope for change in Pakistan? While jingoism and blind nationalism are not the exclusive traits of Pakistan, I have to say, that in a country like India, there are enough saner voices that can counteract any mindless call for a military response - so much so that I am afraid that such sane voices may actually appear as a sign of 'weakness' in the eyes of the enemy.

There is this article in 'The Hindu' today - check it out - you'll understand why I don't feel hopeful of any real change in Pakistan:

Politically, the task for Mr. Zardari has been made all the more difficult because few people — they can be counted on the fingertips — are willing to see the presence of militant groups such as the LeT as a problem for Pakistan itself. For all its claims to represent the will of the people, the Pakistan government today finds itself isolated in its apparent willingness and sincerity to cooperate with India. President Zardari’s unpopularity with large sections of the opinion-making elite has not helped.

The majority of the country, led by the disproportionately influential electronic media, has gone into denial mode that the attacks could have had anything to do with Pakistan and is dismissive of the evidence reportedly stacking up on the Indian side as just so much “anti-Pakistan hype.”

In particular, television anchors and other opinion-makers who rightly take pride in their role in the denouement of the Musharraf regime and see themselves as the spearheads of the movement against military rule are now falling back into the willing embrace of the security establishment through their emotional dismissal of the evidence emerging from the Mumbai attack and dubbing it India’s “conspiracy” to defame Pakistan in the world.

The question, once again, is, what are India's options now!