India-Pakistan: Empathy, grief in Pakistan for Mumbai mayhem

Timely, thoughtful piece.

Now watch the RSS/Shiv Sena Hindu Indian Brigade spam this board with their bigotry.

absolutely timely. Though a few articles behind the rest (you need to get some pull in the system so that in typical South Asian fashion you get to jump the queue.

Now watch the fun after the inane banal and useless comment from the great one.

[..the need of the hour is unity and understanding among the people of our region...]

OK, so how exactly we do the "unity and understanding" thingy?... let's try this in the current context - we understand that jihadis based in pakiland did the attack and you understand that you have to do something about it. Now what?...

are going to nab and hand over the culprits?... NO
are you going to eliminate LeT which are openely opearating?... NO

So what's the idea here?...

"There has been widespread condemnation in Pakistan against the violence in Mumbai, from ordinary people and non-government organisations as well"


Agreed. There has been nothing but sympathy from the vast majority of Pakistan's civil society.

"as from the Pakistan government which has offered "complete cooperation" and support to India to fight the menace. "

Which government? The one that rules in name - Yes. Zardari and his government are not hostile to India per se. That however is not the case for the Punjabi dominated Pakistani national security establishment. You can check the News - Pak Army spokespoerson is already calling Mehsud a patriot. No concrete action will be taken against LeT, because the Pak Army does not will it to be so.

"Now watch the RSS/Shiv Sena Hindu Indian Brigade spam this board with their bigotry. "

Yes, anyone who is outraged by the attacks and demands concrete action as opposed to mere words of sympathy is an RSS / VHP supporter. Neembu seems to be the US spokesperson for Shireen Mazari's think tank in Pakistan.

Re: # 5 oh, since when did the sink tank have a branch in the US

"You can check the News - Pak Army spokespoerson is already calling Mehsud a patriot."
minor correction: it was a Hamid Mir column (only source), and it was an "unnamed senior army official", not the army spokesperson!

A handful of Pakis may sympathize with the cyclic tragedy....most of they are crying crocodile tears......and jumping with joy on the inside like monkeys in a mangoe orchard....

Beena, thanks. You are a good person, and your sympathy is much appreciated in these trying times. Best regards.

Beena, I appreciate your sincere article. May more power and unity be to the liberal, open-minded and humanity-loving people on both sides of the border. That is the only way the fundamentalist mentality can be vanquished.

neembu - the least you can do ignore the bigots, instead of salivating at the idea of reading their stuff. I hope you will also remember to ignore the bigots from the Islamic Fundamentalist Brigade :-)

Re: # 10; kcs
[[May more power and unity be to the liberal, open-minded and humanity-loving people on both sides of the border. ]]

.... ditto

"it was a Hamid Mir column (only source), and it was an "unnamed senior army official", not the army spokesperson!
"

U are right on the spokesperson - it wasn't the official one, just some senior guy. But I did not read this in Hamid Mir's column, I read it in the news.com.pk as a headline story.

btw, I read in Daily Times (sorry Rabia) that the ethnic tension in KHI preceded the bombay blasts. So slider was blowing smoke wrt RAW initiating revenge?

You don't have to go far. Check Chowk's unplugged to see how Muhammad's disciples are wallowing in their prophet's diarreha - Islam. They are happy at the gruesome killings of innocent.

I am glad that Pakistanis are sympathizing with India but it does not mean a thing till they follow their expression with real action AND STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISTS.

First Pakistanis create the problem and then expect the whole world to get together with them to solve it!

(From The Washington Post editorial, December 2, 2008.)

Pakistan's Task
Peace in South Asia requires a crackdown on terrorists.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008; A20

WITH EACH passing day, suspicions of a Pakistani link to the slaughter of 174 people, including six Americans, in Mumbai grow stronger -- and more plausible. A captured terrorist has reportedly confessed to Indian officials that he received training in Pakistan from Lashkar-i-Taiba, a guerrilla organization that was nurtured by Pakistani military intelligence to fight India in the disputed Kashmir region. It has previously been linked to murderous attacks within India; Lashkar-i-Taiba was behind an assault on the Indian Parliament in 2001 that killed more than a dozen people and almost triggered all-out war on the subcontinent.

Indian security officials are being forced to resign for failing to foresee and prevent the Mumbai massacre, even as public pressure mounts for action against Pakistan. Whether or not the crime originated there, the outcry underlines some past failings of U.S. policy -- specifically, the paltry dividends from years of Bush administration cooperation with former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Musharraf promised strong anti-terrorism measures in return for the billions of dollars in U.S. aid he received. He even went so far as to ban Lashkar-i-Taiba and arrest suspected participants in the attack on India's parliament. This ban existed mainly on paper, however; Mr. Musharraf released the detainees, and the group, renamed Jamaat-ud-Dawa, resumed training under the cover of its charities and schools. It may actually be larger and better financed than it was seven years ago.

This is not to say that the attacks in Mumbai were Mr. Bush's fault. Nor is Pakistan's new civilian democratic government to blame. To the extent that Pakistan-based terrorists still enjoy support from within Pakistani military intelligence, those connections are shadowy and perhaps beyond the civilians' ability to control. Indeed, Lashkar-i-Taiba and whatever allies it still has in Pakistan's army are trying to stir up conflict on the subcontinent so as to undermine the new government and preserve their own power.

Nevertheless, India, which has the ability to strike terrorist targets in Pakistan, is rightly demanding an end to the threat -- and it's getting harder and harder for Washington to counsel patience. One positive signal, Pakistan's promise to send its military intelligence chief to India to help the investigation, has apparently been retracted, though lower-ranking officials may yet go. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put it yesterday while en route to South Asia, "this is a time for complete, absolute, total transparency and cooperation. And that's what we expect." She was, of course, being diplomatic. Pakistan holds the key to this crisis. The best way to salvage Pakistani democracy, and to prevent a slide toward war between two nuclear powers, is for Islamabad to shut down Lashkar-i-Taiba and similar organizations, swiftly, permanently and verifiably. Pakistan should enjoy U.S. support, both from this administration and the next, to the extent that it presents not only credible plans for accomplishing this goal -- but also tangible results.