01-04-2009, 07:29 PM
http://www.dailypioneer.com/ DisplayContent.aspx?ContentID= 147739&URLName=Tamasha-over-Pak-culpability
<b>Tamasha over Pak culpability</b>
Swapan Dasgupta
There are two wildly divergent debates raging in the world. The first, centred on the Israeli attacks on Hamas-run terrorist bases in Gaza, is about the definition of the term âproportionateâ . Article 51 of the UN Charter accords to every nation the right to engage in self-defence against armed attacks â there is no distinction made between State and non-State aggressors. However, international law also stipulates that any retaliation must satisfy the principle of proportionality. Has Israeli targeted air strikes in crowded localities in Gaza which has produced nearly 420 casualties been disproportionate? Alternatively, should proportionality be measured by the risk posed by the aggressor rather than the number of civilians killed? After all, the Hamas is habituated to using women and children as human shields to maximise civilian casualties.
The second debate is actually somewhat of a non-debate and centres on the agonised deliberations in India over how to respond to the terrorist assault on Mumbai on November 26 last year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has unilaterally ruled out invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, although External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has insisted that all options are under consideration. Never mind deliberating on the scale of proportionality, India has been preoccupied with international lobbying to persuade Pakistan to simply acknowledge that âelementsâ inside its territory mounted a commando operation and killed some 170 innocent people in Mumbai.
The persuasion game has taken up more than a month. No doubt the Anglo-American alliance has worked diligently to document electronic evidence of the fact that the terrorists were being controlled by hardened LeT commanders in Pakistan. The chilling transcripts (and possibly recordings) of Internet telephony talks between the terrorists and their controllers have just been made public. These have presumably been read and digested by the Pakistani authorities.
The reactions to these revelations have been only marginally different from the outright denial that greeted the initial discovery of the Pakistani antecedents of the only butcher who was captured alive. Though Pakistan is sticking to the view that the terrorist, with parents who have owned up to his Pakistani citizenship, is nevertheless a Stateless person, it has calibrated its stand on the LeT commanders who masterminded the operation. It has now been stated that all culpable Pakistanis (if any) will be tried and punished in Pakistan. Even the good President Asif Zardari has affirmed to his nation that there is no question of extraditing any Pakistani, guilty or innocent, to India.
Soon enough, a theologian will also arise to tell the more religiously- inclined Pakistanis that an Islamic Republic cannot allow a Muslim citizen to be governed by non-Islamic laws. That, presumably, will put an end to the nice suggestion that the LeT leaders should be given a business class ticket to Amsterdam to stand trial at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Such a move would have the double advantage of also forcing India to grudgingly accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ.
The tamasha over Pakistani culpability has been continuing for more than a month and there are no signs that the show is coming to a quick end. India is waiting for its inquiries to get over before providing âproofâ to Pakistan. When this process concludes in a few months, Pakistan will take time to study the evidence, ask supplementary questions and, maybe, even despatch the long awaited ISI team to verify matters. By then, hopefully, India would have voted in the General Election. If the UPA is re-elected, the Foreign Secretary may personally undertake to sit in on the next round of the joint anti-terror mechanism. If Manmohan Singh and Pranab Babu are forced into the Opposition benches, the successor Government will discover that it is left with no option than to postpone retribution till the next time the LeT or some other wild group decides that it is time to feast on the blood of unbelievers.
Some six weeks after the 10 commandos attacked Mumbai, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Pakistan has once again got away with calculated murder.
The reason behind this Pakistani success, as the Government has been bluntly informed by its senior diplomats based in the relevant Capitals, is unpalatable: Pakistan has calculated that India is in no position to exercise any punitive measure against it. The West has always regarded India as a bit of an upstart with pretensions of boxing above its class. (Of course, it considers Pakistan an absolute rogue unfortunately blessed by geography). Now the sheer incompetence, ineptitude and ineffectiveness of the Indian State are coming home to roost. So decrepit has the Indian State become that details of every minor garrison movement of the Indian Army are available to the Pakistan authorities in real time. The information is instantly used to warn the world of Indiaâs aggressive intentions. Pakistanâs staggering human Intelligence in India has crippled the Governmentâs ability to move rapidly and in secrecy.
Let us be honest with ourselves, the complete neglect of national security since 2004 and the growing over-dependence on the US has taken a huge toll on Indiaâs capacity to do what is in its own paramount national interest. Outsourcing is a good proposition when it comes to low-grade technology and elementary IT. When it becomes a policy mindset, the results are debilitating. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi may not realise this but surely the Home Minister and External Affairs Minister know the high cost India is paying for a must-win-election- at-all-cost approach to national problems.
The Mumbai attack has been a reality check for India. It has punctured our pretensions, informed us that leopards donât change their spots and jolted us into realising that America wonât fight our battles for us. Itâs time we learn the lessons of the 26/11 defeat.
<b>Tamasha over Pak culpability</b>
Swapan Dasgupta
There are two wildly divergent debates raging in the world. The first, centred on the Israeli attacks on Hamas-run terrorist bases in Gaza, is about the definition of the term âproportionateâ . Article 51 of the UN Charter accords to every nation the right to engage in self-defence against armed attacks â there is no distinction made between State and non-State aggressors. However, international law also stipulates that any retaliation must satisfy the principle of proportionality. Has Israeli targeted air strikes in crowded localities in Gaza which has produced nearly 420 casualties been disproportionate? Alternatively, should proportionality be measured by the risk posed by the aggressor rather than the number of civilians killed? After all, the Hamas is habituated to using women and children as human shields to maximise civilian casualties.
The second debate is actually somewhat of a non-debate and centres on the agonised deliberations in India over how to respond to the terrorist assault on Mumbai on November 26 last year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has unilaterally ruled out invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, although External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has insisted that all options are under consideration. Never mind deliberating on the scale of proportionality, India has been preoccupied with international lobbying to persuade Pakistan to simply acknowledge that âelementsâ inside its territory mounted a commando operation and killed some 170 innocent people in Mumbai.
The persuasion game has taken up more than a month. No doubt the Anglo-American alliance has worked diligently to document electronic evidence of the fact that the terrorists were being controlled by hardened LeT commanders in Pakistan. The chilling transcripts (and possibly recordings) of Internet telephony talks between the terrorists and their controllers have just been made public. These have presumably been read and digested by the Pakistani authorities.
The reactions to these revelations have been only marginally different from the outright denial that greeted the initial discovery of the Pakistani antecedents of the only butcher who was captured alive. Though Pakistan is sticking to the view that the terrorist, with parents who have owned up to his Pakistani citizenship, is nevertheless a Stateless person, it has calibrated its stand on the LeT commanders who masterminded the operation. It has now been stated that all culpable Pakistanis (if any) will be tried and punished in Pakistan. Even the good President Asif Zardari has affirmed to his nation that there is no question of extraditing any Pakistani, guilty or innocent, to India.
Soon enough, a theologian will also arise to tell the more religiously- inclined Pakistanis that an Islamic Republic cannot allow a Muslim citizen to be governed by non-Islamic laws. That, presumably, will put an end to the nice suggestion that the LeT leaders should be given a business class ticket to Amsterdam to stand trial at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Such a move would have the double advantage of also forcing India to grudgingly accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ.
The tamasha over Pakistani culpability has been continuing for more than a month and there are no signs that the show is coming to a quick end. India is waiting for its inquiries to get over before providing âproofâ to Pakistan. When this process concludes in a few months, Pakistan will take time to study the evidence, ask supplementary questions and, maybe, even despatch the long awaited ISI team to verify matters. By then, hopefully, India would have voted in the General Election. If the UPA is re-elected, the Foreign Secretary may personally undertake to sit in on the next round of the joint anti-terror mechanism. If Manmohan Singh and Pranab Babu are forced into the Opposition benches, the successor Government will discover that it is left with no option than to postpone retribution till the next time the LeT or some other wild group decides that it is time to feast on the blood of unbelievers.
Some six weeks after the 10 commandos attacked Mumbai, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Pakistan has once again got away with calculated murder.
The reason behind this Pakistani success, as the Government has been bluntly informed by its senior diplomats based in the relevant Capitals, is unpalatable: Pakistan has calculated that India is in no position to exercise any punitive measure against it. The West has always regarded India as a bit of an upstart with pretensions of boxing above its class. (Of course, it considers Pakistan an absolute rogue unfortunately blessed by geography). Now the sheer incompetence, ineptitude and ineffectiveness of the Indian State are coming home to roost. So decrepit has the Indian State become that details of every minor garrison movement of the Indian Army are available to the Pakistan authorities in real time. The information is instantly used to warn the world of Indiaâs aggressive intentions. Pakistanâs staggering human Intelligence in India has crippled the Governmentâs ability to move rapidly and in secrecy.
Let us be honest with ourselves, the complete neglect of national security since 2004 and the growing over-dependence on the US has taken a huge toll on Indiaâs capacity to do what is in its own paramount national interest. Outsourcing is a good proposition when it comes to low-grade technology and elementary IT. When it becomes a policy mindset, the results are debilitating. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi may not realise this but surely the Home Minister and External Affairs Minister know the high cost India is paying for a must-win-election- at-all-cost approach to national problems.
The Mumbai attack has been a reality check for India. It has punctured our pretensions, informed us that leopards donât change their spots and jolted us into realising that America wonât fight our battles for us. Itâs time we learn the lessons of the 26/11 defeat.