Twirp: Terrorist Wahabi Islamic Rep Pakistan 4

06-30-2009, 10:24 PM

Polish engineer's refusal to convert costs him his lifeQUOTEPiotr Stanczak did not exhibit the slightest hint of hesitation when the Pakistani Taliban asked him to choose between execution and conversion to Islam.

Whether the Polish geologist acted out of pride or religious conviction, he decided to pay through his blood to save his faith, a choice that bewildered his killers and keep them talking about him with respect after his murder.

Stanczak, 42, was kidnapped Sep 28 on his way to survey for oil exploration in Attock district, of Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab. The kidnappers also killed his driver and two guards. Militants released a gruesome seven-minute video in early February showing his beheading. One of the murderers blamed the Pakistani government which failed to accept their demands for the release of detained militants.

Warsaw reacted angrily, slammed Islamabad's "apathy" in tackling terrorism and offering a 1 million zloty ($300,000) reward for information leading to the capture of the Taliban militants who beheaded Stanczak.

Naresh · 07-01-2009, 12:19 AM

Zero supply from Mangla worsens power crisis

QUOTEISLAMABAD : The power crisis was aggravated on Monday with a shortfall of 3,650 megawatts in the national grid, leaving the people helpless.

As the people staged demonstrations across the country against the power shortage, authorities claimed that they would be able to control the situation within a couple of days, though the Mangla Dam had developed serious faults, bringing power generation to nil.

Manglaâs zero contribution resulted in a 22.427 per cent power shortage, with an immediate impact of five and a half hours daily loadshedding, if calculated in average, irrespective of the discrimination being meted out to rural areas.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

Naresh · 07-01-2009, 12:25 AM

[center] <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' />At midnight we Pakistanis will be Internationally MFâd <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />[/center]

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

07-01-2009, 04:11 AM

Pakistan starts painting JF-17s QUOTEKAMRA: Joining the elite club of fighter-aircraft producing nations, Pakistan on Tuesday began final assembly of its first indigenous JF-17 Thunder strike fighter at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

The JF-17 Thunder is an advanced multi-role combat aircraft, designed jointly by engineers from Pakistan and China, and built to the Pakistan Air Forceâs specifications.

Naresh · 07-01-2009, 05:54 PM

<!--emo&

tupid--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pakee.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pakee.gif' />Mangla repairs to take two months, at least <!--emo& Confused

tupid--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pakee.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pakee.gif' />

QUOTELAHORE : The Mondayâs short-circuiting of 10 turbines at the Mangla Hydro Power Station will take at least two months for repair, The News has learnt.

The entire power plant came to a grinding halt after the mishap, which, the sources revealed, was the result of Mangla managersâ attempt to push the worn-out system beyond limits, taking the total generation to 1,150 MW against the normal 1,000 MW. The original âoil-filledâ cables, having outlived their utility, could not survive the extra load, leading to the disaster. The Wapda had already awarded the tender for the replacement of these underground oil-filled cables. These cables, joining the turbines with the national grid, had a lifespan of 30 years and should have been replaced till 1997.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

07-04-2009, 02:43 AM

17 die in US missile strike in PakistanQUOTEÂ ISLAMABAD (AP) - U.S. missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.
The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border where Pakistani troops are gearing up for a military offensive, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, an army transport helicopter carrying security personnel in the northwest crashed after developing a technical fault, killing 26 people on board, military officials said. An investigation into the cause of the crash not far from the main city of Peshawar was under way, said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.

The drone attacks were the latest in a string of more than 40 believed to have been be carried out by the United States against militant targets in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants
....

07-06-2009, 10:35 PM

Not sure who this MP is or his affiliation/leaning but worth watching Mushy's face has this MP unloads on him:
An Indian muslim MP to Musharaff..

07-06-2009, 10:50 PM

QUOTE(Viren @ Jul 6 2009, 10:35 PM)Not sure who this MP is or his affiliation/leaning but worth watching Mushy's face has this MP unloads on him:
An Indian muslim MP to Musharaff..
[right][snapback]99503[/snapback][/right]

QUOTEMaulana Mahmood Madani
Maulana Mahmood Madani comes from a family of Islamic scholars. In his final year at Darul Uloom Deoband in 1992, the demolition of the Babri Mosque at Ayodhya affected him very deeply. Mahmood came out to aid the victims of the communal riots that followed. With supporters he surrounded the local police and administration offices, demanding immediate justice. After graduation from Darul Uloom Deoband, he took to business but still devoted time to social and political activities. His political career started with the Samajwadi Party and he became its National Secretary and central Council member. Subsequently, he joined the Congress. In 2004, he joined the RLD and is now a member of the Rajya Sabha from UP.[1]
During the Gujarat earthquake, his relief and rehabilitation work brought him national recognition and he was elected as General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind from 2001 to 2008.[2] He is now an executive member and regarded as its leader. His far-reaching recent achievement is in launching the countrywide anti-terrorist campaign and in getting the Deoband Clergy to pass a fatwa against terrorists. He organised 40 anti-terrorism conferences all over the country. The massive public gatherings in May 2008 at the Ramlila Grounds of Delhi and in November 2008 in Hyderabad have helped in mobilising the Muslim masses and Ulema against terrorism.[3]
He came into further prominence following his pointed remarks to Pakistan's ex-president, Parvez Musharraf, during a meet organised in India.[4]
He is very shrewd guy, Moron Singh statement "Muslim First" is after cutting deal with this guy. 15 point Muslim demand, basically Muslim appeasement policy came out from him, which was promised by Sonia when she shared dias in Ramlila Ground, Delhi with elder Madani in 2004.
His shrewd policy, collecting crowd after terrorist attack to protect Muslims from Hindu anger.
Don't underestimate him.
He had rapped Congress around his little finger.

**acharya** · 07-08-2009, 02:12 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPIr0V3rDcw

Naresh · 07-08-2009, 09:10 PM

WB paints gloomy picture of Pakistan power sector

<img src='http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_pics/7-8-2009_23158_l.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

QUOTEISLAMABAD : The World Bank presents an extremely gloomy picture of Pakistanâs power sector that is marred by corruption and inefficiency but sells electricity to the public for a price that is 60 per cent higher than that of India and 40 per cent more than that of Bangladesh.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

07-09-2009, 06:55 AM

2 suspected US missile attacks kill 45 in PakistanQUOTEÂ DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) - Suspected U.S. drones launched two missile attacks on Taliban targets in the South Waziristan tribal region on Wednesday, killing at least 45 militants in the latest in a barrage of strikes close to the Afghan border, intelligence officials said.
The army said the top Taliban commander in another area of the northwest, the scenic Swat Valley, was wounded in a Pakistani airstrike. It gave no more details.

Naresh · 07-13-2009, 03:27 PM

20 killed, over 60 injured, several houses destroyed in Mian Channu blast

At least 20 persons were killed and around 70 injured in an explosion in Chak-129 near Mian Channu on Monday. An explosion at the home of a local cleric in Punjab killed 15 people on Monday, trapping casualties under the rubble of dozens of flattened homes, officials said. Several houses were collapsed due to the impact of the blast and several persons were said to be trapped under the debris, reports said. The blast occurred at house of a man Riaz, DPO Khaniwal Kamran Khan said. The explosives stored in the house were detonated and caused the blast, he opined. The impact of the blast destroyed around 25 houses in the area, he added. Local volunteers reached to the place of the blast after the incident and started rescue work to retrieve the people trapped under the rubbles of the caved in houses. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister YOusuf Raza Gilani have condemned the incident and ordered probe of the blast.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

**acharya** · 07-14-2009, 10:13 AM

Foreign policy foundations
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Qazi Hussain Ahmed

The foundation of US foreign policy rests on its national interest. To make the Americans change their foreign policy, it is necessary to persuade them that this change is in their own national interest. The ideology of modern nation states is founded not on concepts such as justice but on narrow self interest.

Allama Iqbal was bitterly opposed to this narrow concept of nationalism on the basis of language or ethnicity. His Farsi book, Masnavi Israr-o-Ramooz, focuses on the question of nationalism. In Israr-e-Khudi he focused on the character of an ideal Muslim individual whereas in the Masnavi he has argued about the place of an individual in a nation and the relations between an individual's selfhood and that of a nation. In opposing territorial nationalism, Iqbal says:

Aqda-e-qaumiat Muslim Kashood/Az watan aqqae ma hijrat namood.

In other words, our prophet Muhammad (PBUH) untied the knot of nationalism by performing Hijrat from his home. He left his home for the sake of his beliefs and faith. Iqbal criticizes the League of Nations thus:

Makke ne diya khaak-e- Geneva ko ye paigham/ Jamiat aqwam ke Jamiat Adam.

In other words, mankind's problems will not be solved by forming a unity of nations. In such a body, every nation's representative would act out of his nation's interests which would prevent him from thinking about the good of all humankind. To act for the common good it is necessary to transcend narrow national, ethnic, and linguistic prejudices just as the Prophet (PBUH) taught us to unite in the worship of a single God.

Soon after the creation of Pakistan, those responsible for framing the country's foreign and defence policies decided to make cooperation with the USA the cornerstone of these policies. To achieve that end, they decided to exploit Pakistan's geographical location and Islamic worldview to portray the country to the Americans as a bastion against communism. The foundations of this policy were laid by Liaquat Ali Khan, Sir Zafarullah Khan, General Ayub Khan and Iskander Mirza. American aid was considered as a means of making Pakistan strong vis a vis India and to make the country stand on its own feet. India, meanwhile, decided to follow a policy of non-alignment towards the US and the USSR. Eventually, India emerged as a leader of the non-aligned bloc and made a name for itself as a powerful independent voice on the world stage. In contrast, Pakistan gradually became a virtual satellite of the US. Meanwhile, the US kept changing its attitude towards Pakistan according to the changing scenario. When India kept itself aloof from Washington, the US patronized Pakistan. By joining CENTO and SEATO, Pakistan allied itself totally with the US and the western bloc. However, the US continued to seek the cooperation of India with its huge population and resources.

Pak-US relations, meanwhile, continue to witness ups and downs during different periods. During General Zia's rule, the US got the opportunity to use Pakistan to humiliate the USSR in Afghanistan. For this reason, the US was even willing to overlook Pakistan's nuclear programme to some extent and restored its aid which had earlier been blocked in order to penalize Pakistan for its nuclear ambitions and to encourage the return of democracy Pak-US relations once again went through a rocky patch after the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. The Mujahideen, who the US had earlier encouraged with the help of Pakistan to prop up the resistance to the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, were soon seen as a potential threat to US interests when they made Afghanistan a base for anti-US activities and for allowing a foothold to Al-Qaeda.

On September 11, 2001, a devastating incident took place in the US. Several aircraft were hijacked from various US airports simultaneously and attacks staged on symbols of America's economic power, the Twin Towers in New York, the nerve-centre of its military, the Pentagon, and on the White House. America blamed the attacks on Al-Qaeda and in order to crush the organization, the US decided to attack Afghanistan. Once again, America needed Pakistan for this and Islamabad, in keeping with its old habits and basic policy, was ready and willing to cooperate. So much so that General Pervez Musharraf did not even feel the need to consult anyone before agreeing. After all, the US had sought cooperation and it was not in the make-up of the Pakistani leadership to deny this request. From day one, it has been our rulers' main aim to seek such cooperation. But this time it was neither Pakistan's geographical location nor its Islamic ideology that was its main strength. This time it was support for the US war on terror that was on top of the agenda. General Pervez Musharraf immediately agreed to become a front-ranking ally in this war.

Today, the Pakistani nation is asking questions about who the main foe is in this war on terror. Is it those Mujahideen that Pakistan had itself gathered from all over the globe and organized, and who were motivated in the name of Islam to fight against the Soviet communists and for the Muslims of Afghanistan? When they were fighting against the Russian occupation they were Mujahideen. The Pakistani people and army were fighting a jihad with their Afghan brethren. When the Soviets were replaced by the western powers and NATO several years later, the Afghan people continued to struggle against foreign intervention. The sympathies of the Pakistani people are with them. What argument does the army and the government have for becoming a frontline US ally against those resisting the occupation?

By fighting someone else's war, today our army is engaged in a conflict with the madressahs, the ulema and the tribals of their own country. This is giving an opportunity to our enemies to foment terrorism and strife in the country. American author Stephen Cohen has said in his recent book that when the last Al-Qaeda member and Taliban are no longer in Pakistan, US aid to Pakistan will also come to a halt. That is why the Pakistan government and army would like to prolong this war. But Pakistanis themselves are dying in this war. The Pakistan Army and the people are killing each other in this war. Do our rulers have the courage to rethink the policy of being staunch allies of the US in its war before we reach the brink of destruction?

The writer is former amir, Jamaat-i-Islami.

ramana · 07-15-2009, 01:07 AM

About Mumbai terrorists....
QUOTE("SSridhar")Moving to Indo-Pak Detente - Editorial in DT
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

Interior Minister Mr Rehman Malik has met the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad and told him that he had enough evidence to convict the persons in prison for carrying out the attack. The information he made public on Sunday is new for Pakistanis as well and will shock many who thought the deed just couldnât have been done from Pakistan. The mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is awaiting trial together with a number of operatives, and Pakistan has completed the investigation of the case 76 days after India provided the needed evidence.

Lashkar-e Tayba was the alleged culprit, according to Mr Rehman. Lakhvi planned the act, Hammad Amin got the funds and arranged hideouts, Mazhar Iqbal was the handler, Abdul Wajid was the expert of the computer networks, and Shahid Jamil was the crew member of âAl-Hussainiâ and âAl-Fouzâ, the two boats used in the attacks. The government is looking for Muhammad Amjad Khan and Iftikhar Ali who deposited $250 in Islamabad to obtain a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) connection for terroristsâ communication; Shahid Ghafur, captain of the boats, and crew members Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Usman, Atiqur Rehman, Riaz Ahmad, Muhammad Mushtaq, Muhammad Naeem, Abdul Shakoor, Muhammad Sabir Salafi, Muhammad Usman and Shakil Ahmad.</div>

07-15-2009, 05:32 AM

QUOTEPak provokes India
pioneer.com
PNS/Agencies | New Delhi/Sharm-el-Sheikh
 Before talks, withdraws appeal against Saeed
Builds bunkers, observation posts along LoC
India suffered an embarrassment on Tuesday ahead of the much-hyped meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani with the Pakistanâs Punjab Government opting to withdraw from the Supreme Court its appeal against the release of JuD chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed, a key accused in the Mumbai terror attacks.

The development came hours before the scheduled meeting between Foreign Secretaries of the two countries in Sharm-el Sheikh on the sidelines of the 15th NAM summit.

Unhappy with Pakistanâs response to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said in Paris that India would like a âvisible responseâ from Pakistan, whose commitment is to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and the earlier attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

âI think Pakistan should give us an undertaking that they will not let their soil be used for terrorist activities directed against India,â he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistanâs Punjab provincial Government decided to withdraw its appeal against the release of Saeed, though the Pakistan Federal Government is pressing ahead with its case in the Supreme Court.

Punjab Advocate General Muhammad Raza Farooq told the Supreme Court when it resumed hearing on the two appeals that the provincial Government wanted to withdraw its petition as it did not have adequate evidence against the JuD chief. The court adjourned the matter till Thursday without any decision on Punjab Governmentâs request to withdraw its appeal.

Meanwhile, India wants to focus on Pakistanâs action against the terrorists involved in the Mumbai and other attacks. It is believed that till visible steps are taken by the Pakistan Government and the Army, there is little likelihood that India will move forward to restart the stalled composite dialogue process, though India is under much global pressure to restart the process.

India also stands committed to force Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure on its territory.

The discussions on Thursday are also expected to cover the flip-flop in Pakistan over the arrest and release of Saeed and the withdrawal of petitions challenging his release from the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has handed over a fresh dossier on its probe into the Mumbai terror attacks to India. The dossier, handed over to the Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad on Saturday, identifies 12 new suspects and gives an update on Pakistanâs investigations into the November 26 attacks, informed sources told PTI.

After Singhâs disclosure on Saturday that ISI chief has met some officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, speculation has been rife about the powerful spy agencyâs influence in the process of talks.

Manmohan Singh, who arrived in Egypt on Tuesday night from Paris, hopes to get from Gilani a categoric commitment that the Mumbai terror accused would be quickly brought to justice and Pakistanâs soil will not be used for terror acts against India.

India is disappointed that eight months have passed since the Mumbai strikes and movement from the Pakistani side in prosecuting the accused is slow and frustrating, sources said.

Mohit Kandhari adds from Jammu:

Ahead of the informal meeting between the two Premiers, a senior officer of the Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday sounded alarm bells claiming that after the Mumbai terror attacks Pakistan has accelerated construction activity along the international with India to build more concrete bunkers and observation towers.

Addressing mediapersons immediately after attending the passing out parade at Subsidiary Training Centre (STC) in Udhampur, Special Director General, BSF UK Bansal said,

âWe are aware of the fact that Pakistan is not only making a âbundhâ (temporary mud wall) along the international border but also erecting a number of other defensive structures, including bunkers, concrete bunkers and observation towers close to the zero line in order to strengthen its defencesâ. 

Official sources said that in the recent months the Pakistani Rangers, taking advantage of the ceasefire agreement between the two nations, have launched massive construction activity to build fortified bunkers with defining firing positions in front of the forward Indian villages.

These bunkers are normally manned by Pakistani Rangers and are stocked with adequate supplies of arms and ammunition.

Questioning the motive behind the hectic activity along the international border, the senior BSF officer said in the last six months the construction activity has peaked and is going on unabated even after the Mumbai terror attack.

The BSF officer said, âFrom time to time, we have lodged strong protests at the highest level with Pakistani authorities but every time they have not heeded to the objections raised by India.â

Stressing on the fact that India was well prepared to counter these measures, the senior BSF officer said, âWe are maintaining a tight vigil on the activities of Pakistani Rangers from the Indian side and taking all concrete measures to neutralise any mischief by neighbour that can be planned as a result of erection of these fortified structuresâ.

Referring to the Naxal threat, the senior BSF officer said that in the days to come the BSF will deploy more troops to counter Naxal threat in the Maoist-hit areas. âWe are training our men for the jobâ, he added before taking more responsibilities. On Tuesday, 184 jawans of Orissa passed out of the training centre after undergoing rigorous training programme.Â

07-16-2009, 10:06 PM

Deteriorating law and order: Swedish firm pulls back from conducting RMTS feasibility studyQUOTEISLAMABAD: A firm hired by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for conducting feasibility study on Rapid Mass Transit System (RMTS) has asked the CDA to hire another firm for the project, citing security reasons.

M/S Reklers, a Swedish firm, was selected by CDA a few months ago for conducting feasibility study on RMTS but two weeks ago, the firm declined to work, citing deteriorating law and order situation in the country, an official told Daily Times on Wednesday

07-16-2009, 10:10 PM

opinion: Siachen â time for settlement âBrian CloughleyQUOTEIt is high time there was peaceful agreement about this absurd state of affairs. India and Pakistan should withdraw their troops by mutual arrangement and leave Siachen as it was before 1984 â militarily unoccupied and valueless to all but mountaineers: the âexample of peaceâ so desired by Dr Singh. It would be magnificent if India and Pakistan could set an example to the world in conflict resolution. The prime ministers would go down in history, deservedly, as peacemakers.

A Nobel recognition would not be excessive were they to achieve agreement. Indeed it would be almost guaranteed for both of them
Yes, appointed Prime Minister of India can deliver anything, not sure whether 10 Janpath had ordered anything on this issue.

ramana · 07-17-2009, 12:48 AM

Text of Joint Statement

http://meaindia.nic.in/declarestatement/...16js01.htm

Naresh · 07-17-2009, 01:37 AM

ramana Ji :

Could you please comment on the following :

No 'composite' talks till Pak acts on terror : PM

SHARM-EL SHEIKH (Egypt) : In an apparent climb-down, India on Thursday dropped its insistence on refusing to hold talks with Pakistan till those behind the Mumbai terror attacks were punished but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh clarified that the "composite dialogue" will not be resumed. ( Watch )

A joint statement issued after the second top-level meeting since the Mumbai terror attacks said "Both Prime Ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed."

During the two-hour-long meeting, which virtually signalled a thaw in relations that had soured after the 26/11 attacks, the two sides agreed to "create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence".

There was no mention of Kashmir in the statement which, however, said that Singh expressed India's readiness to "discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues". Under the composite dialogue process, Kashmir is one of the issues.

The de-linking of composite dialogue with terrorism is seen as a climbdown by India as it has all along maintained that dialogue cannot be held till there is concrete action against terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Later, addressing a press conference, Singh was at pains to clarify that "the composite dialogue process cannot resume unless and until terrorist acts, like the one which shook Mumbai, are properly accounted for and perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to book."

Singh said that "if acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated, there is no question of dialogue, least of all, the composite dialogue... If there is no attempt (by Pakistan) to contain terrorism, no dialogue can succeed."

He emphasised that "So long as Pakistan territory continues to be used for perpetrating acts of terrorism directed against India, I think, the dialogue, even if it starts, cannot move forward."

Noting that there is no option but to have dialogue with Pakistan, he said, however, that he could not say what kind of talks will happen. This, he said, will be determined by the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries who will keep meeting as often as possible.

Singh said that any recurrence of Mumbai-type attack will be "intolerable" and that would affect the ties from moving forward.

India has particularly been maintaining that the dialogue process cannot resume till Pakistan takes "concrete" and "visible" action against perpetrators of Mumbai attacks.

On top of it, the joint statement also contains a reference to "threats" in Balochistan, where Pakistan has been alleging Indian hand in terror incidents.

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Naresh · 07-18-2009, 12:24 AM

Received by E-Mail â so no URL Link :

Byline for 19 July 2009

A statement out of joint

M.J. Akbar

A principal purpose of diplo-speak, and more particularly diplo-write, is to state the obvious. Platitudes are the daily diet of dialogue. Prudent officials wander from the obvious with great trepidation, and when tasked to create a new approach, they agonise over every word. Babur was wise when he warned, in Baburnama, âHe who lays his hand on the sword with haste/ Shall lift to his teeth the back of his hand with regretâ. This tenet of war is applicable to diplomacy. He who lays his hand on the pen with haste on foreign shore, shall scratch his head on returning home with deep dismay.

One sentence in the joint declaration issued by Dr Manmohan Singh and Yousaf Raza Gilani is going to hover over the future relationship: âAction on terrorism should not be linked to the Composite Dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.â

You do not need a dictionary to decipher its meaning. This absolves present and future governments of Pakistan from any guilt in cross-border terrorism, a scourge India has to face for decades. It is a commitment that governments should continue the process of dialogue no matter how much havoc a terrorist group from Pakistan creates in India. If this principle had been in operation last year, India and Pakistan could have continued their Composite Dialogue in December after the savage Mumbai terrorism in November.

It reverses a consistent position taken by India from the time Mrs Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, and General Zia ul Haq financed and armed a massive terrorist upsurge in Punjab, even as his intelligence agencies trained and prepared young Kashmiris for a decisive âJihadâ in the valley. The role of the Pakistani state in this strategy of âwar by other meansâ has now been documented in countless books and research papers. President Asif Zardari admitted as much when he said, very recently, that âyesterdayâs heroes are todayâs terroristsâ â although officials tried to dilute the implications by suggesting he was talking about the Afghan war against the Soviet Union, they could not obscure the fact that he was referring to the hero-terrorist syndrome in operation against India.

There is no evidence, as far as the Government of India is concerned, that Pakistan has changed this policy. Terrorism remains its major export to India. The joint statement was signed on 16 July 2009. On 9 July, just seven days earlier, Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told the Indian Parliament, âNotwithstanding Pakistan governmentâs assurances to us, terrorists in Pakistan continue attacks against India.â If Mr Krishna was misleading Parliament, he should be dropped from the Cabinet. If he was reflecting the Government of Indiaâs considered position, then one can only infer that Delhi had decided to delink Pakistani terrorists from Pakistanâs government even before the Prime Minister left for Egypt. Otherwise there would have been no consensus in Sharm el Sheikh. The delegation accompanying the Prime Minister, including Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan, was aware of this change and party to it. Junior minister Shashi Tharoor was clearly not considered important enough to be kept in the loop, since, as he told a television journalist, the media had seen the joint statement before he did.

The Prime Minister has been very keen to resume talks with Pakistan, as he wants to expand his legacy. One can see some merit in this desire. The Indo-Pak gulf is infested with sharks. One treads with care. Some thought on how to handle the language would have given him what he wanted without compromising Indiaâs options. Here is an alternative formulation, without the now infamous brackets : âNo peace process can go forward without the support of the people, and people will not offer support until terrorism is eliminated, since they are its direct victims, as evident in the tragic events in Mumbai last November. The Composite Dialogue shall resume as soon as possible, but only after the Indian people are convinced that credible action has been taken against the perpetrators of the Mumbai havoc.â The second sentence is, in fact, precisely what the Prime Minister said at his explanatory press conference after the joint statement.

The problem is that press conferences have no status in international affairs; signed statements are the only documents that matter. Who recalls what was said before, during or after the Shimla summit in 1972? The signed agreement is what holds.

The Pakistani delegation used some very thin fudge to explain its impotence in the case of Hafeez Saeed, head of the Lashkar-e-Tayaba or whatever that terrorist organisationâs current name is. It passed the blame on to the state government of Punjab, run by Shahbaz Sharif, brother of the more famous Nawaz Sharif. Any reading of the government lawyerâs statements to the Lahore High Court, widely reported in media, would make clear that Islamabad was complicit, since the judges were not convinced that Islamabad was certain that the LeT was a terrorist organisation. There was deliberate ambiguity in the official stance. Moreover, action against a single individual would be inadequate. The danger is organised and spread across more than one network.

This leads us to a fundamental flaw in the joint statement, which may have escaped those who drafted it.

The text repeatedly uses the term âterrorismâ. It is very easy for India and Pakistan to agree on terrorism. What they do not agree on is a collateral question : who is a terrorist? Pakistan still refuses to admit that any âJihadiâ who uses terrorism in pursuit of an independent Kashmir, or in support of Kashmirâs merger into Pakistan, is a terrorist. Pakistani diplomats and interlocutors repeatedly sought to condone the Mumbai attacks through the âroot causeâ theory. Kashmir was the root cause of terrorism, and therefore unless the Kashmir problem was sorted out (presumably to Pakistanâs satisfaction) terrorism would never end. America has bought this argument, because Pakistan has some excellent advocates in Washington. Should one surmise that Delhi is now nodding its head in the same direction?

Curiously, the joint statement includes a reference to Balochistan, lending implicit credence to Pakistanâs accusation that India is behind its troubles in Balochistan. If this were not the case, why mention Balochistan in an India-Pakistan statement? We did not make any effort to include the Naxalite violence in the statement, did we?

India may have gone to Sharm-el-Sheikh as the victim of terrorism, and returned as the accused.

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