New delhi, September 16
India is pushing for a wider and enlarged coalition of democratic countries to deal effectively with the menace of international terrorism, which some countries are using as a tool of foreign policy.
Such a grouping can include China in its fold as Beijing has a role. There can be no room in such a coalition for states like Pakistan which sponsor terrorism.
The fight against terrorism is not a one-shot affair but a long haul. It is imperative to attack the system which gives rise to such tendencies. The enormity of airborne strikes in the USA on September 11 has compelled Washington to join New Delhi’s battle against terrorism.
Even though India is one of the few countries in the world which has been facing the challenge of a proxy war for more than a decade, New Delhi is acutely aware that it has to squarely deal with the problem without compromising national security and vital economic aspects. Protracted militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is not anyone else’s war and India will have to contend with it.
A prompt military attack is not the answer for crushing terrorism. Therefore, New Delhi wants a global approach which brings together as large a coalition of democracies to work purposefully armed with the necessary documentation for tackling the scourge of international terrorism.
Over the past three years the Vajpayee government has been constantly trying to bring international terrorism in the forefront. In this context a lot of work remains to be done of putting in
place an international legal framework against international terrorism. And India continues to engage major powers and other countries for proceeding in a methodical manner.
Any military action in dealing a severe blow to international terrorism will necessarily involve intense preparatory work backed by tremendous logistic support, according to authoritative sources. Any retaliatory attack might not yield much at this juncture and it will be wrong to equate terrorism with Islam.
The statements emanating from Pakistan following the demands made by the Bush administration in Washington has created a delicate situation for President Musharraf. It remains to be seen how the self appointed president of Pakistan is able to assuage his constituents without earning the ire of the fundamentalist organisations in that country.
