11-10-2006, 12:01 AM
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--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <b>Gates closed window of Indo-Pak war</b>
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA
[ 9 Nov, 2006 2300hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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Robert Oakley, the U.S envoy to Pakistan who accompanied Gates to the meeting, tells Hersh that Beg had not briefed the Pakistani leaders on the risks of war, in a similar vein it appears, to what Gen. Musharraf did with Nawaz Sharief in the context of Kargil. Oakley says Beg sat in the meeting looking smug, while Khan became quite sober, particularly after Gates warned him that if war breaks out "Don't expect any help from us."
In the end, following Gates warning that Pakistan has to "stop supporting terrorism in Kashmir," â the reason for Indiaâs military flexing -- Khan assures him that Pakistani training camps for Kashmiri insurgents would be shut down. Gates then goes to New Delhi with this assurance. India agrees to let American military attachés of the U.S Embassy go to the front in Kashmir and Rajasthan and see for themselves that no imminent invasion of Pakistan was in the works. The American attachés duly reported that the Indian units, including its vaunted Strike Corps, were in the process of closing down their exercises.
While this is the American version of events, Indian officials close to the developments in those days have told this correspondent in the past that the narrative is exaggerated and there was never a threat of nuclear war. By Gates own account, even the Soviets declined to weigh in and basically dismissed the American notion that there was a crisis. And most significantly, Pakistanâs then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was travelling in the Gulf at that time, gave him the run around did not even return to meet Gates -- much to his annoyance.
While this "American-made crisis" and Gates' role in defusing it might be of interest to India now that he will be Defense Secretary, U.S commentators were busy scrutinizing his extensive 26-year CIA career. He is the only CIA Director who began as a recruit at the bottom of the ladder and reached the very top â with a couple of stumbles in between.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <b>Gates closed window of Indo-Pak war</b>CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA
[ 9 Nov, 2006 2300hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
Robert Oakley, the U.S envoy to Pakistan who accompanied Gates to the meeting, tells Hersh that Beg had not briefed the Pakistani leaders on the risks of war, in a similar vein it appears, to what Gen. Musharraf did with Nawaz Sharief in the context of Kargil. Oakley says Beg sat in the meeting looking smug, while Khan became quite sober, particularly after Gates warned him that if war breaks out "Don't expect any help from us."
In the end, following Gates warning that Pakistan has to "stop supporting terrorism in Kashmir," â the reason for Indiaâs military flexing -- Khan assures him that Pakistani training camps for Kashmiri insurgents would be shut down. Gates then goes to New Delhi with this assurance. India agrees to let American military attachés of the U.S Embassy go to the front in Kashmir and Rajasthan and see for themselves that no imminent invasion of Pakistan was in the works. The American attachés duly reported that the Indian units, including its vaunted Strike Corps, were in the process of closing down their exercises.
While this is the American version of events, Indian officials close to the developments in those days have told this correspondent in the past that the narrative is exaggerated and there was never a threat of nuclear war. By Gates own account, even the Soviets declined to weigh in and basically dismissed the American notion that there was a crisis. And most significantly, Pakistanâs then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was travelling in the Gulf at that time, gave him the run around did not even return to meet Gates -- much to his annoyance.
While this "American-made crisis" and Gates' role in defusing it might be of interest to India now that he will be Defense Secretary, U.S commentators were busy scrutinizing his extensive 26-year CIA career. He is the only CIA Director who began as a recruit at the bottom of the ladder and reached the very top â with a couple of stumbles in between.