Congress Party's Dilemma

Re: # 3
vrv...
india has large musla population, which has to be kept in mind while handling pakistan...
after 4 wars and so many jihadi attacks, there is nothing, which india can trust pakistan on and may be same from pakistani side as well.....

"New Delhi understands that, despite all their faults, Islamabad’s current leadership is better than the alternative. "
I think this should be the Pakistani national motto. 'We may be terrible but the alternative is worse'. ;-)

A common line in the new Pakistani playbook has been to confuse its terrorist war on India with internal Indian communal problems. There is a peripheral relation with regard to the amount of local logistical support Pakistani terrorists get in India.

... but it has nothing to do with the Pakistani states continuing terrorist war on India

Rakesh, I had the following comments to your article:

1) I agree with your analysis of the paralysis that affects Indian policy towards Pakistan,
but as a critical part of this analysis I think you should also include the US in the mix.
Pakistan's current confidence in handling India is due to the centrality they know they
have to the Afghan situation which allows them to demand that the US intervene on their
behalf in the Indo-Pak dispute. For the US, any alternative to Pakistan to get supplies
into Afghanistan leads to large concessions to be made to Iran or Russia. Continuing with
the current situation is probably the best of a number of bad choices for the US and the
backlash is felt by Pakistan and India.

2) "Between a nuclear-armed theocracy and an imperfect democracy, New Delhi understands that,
despite all their faults, Islamabad’s current leadership is better than the alternative"

After the Zia era no Army controlled government in Pakistan had been theocratic. The choice
is between a weak civilian government and a strong military one not between a more secular and
a more theocratic government.

3) "but still wants to pander to the rampant anti-Pakistan sentiment among the masses"

I think your tone here is way too judgemental. If current public opinion is anti-Pakistan you
would agree (I hope) it is with very good reason, no need to call it "rampant". If the
democratic government of the day responds to this sentiment, its not "pandering".
Nobody accused the US government of "pandering to rampant anti-terrorist" sentiment" by
invading Afghanistan. This line of yours shows contempt for Indian lives.

4) "The ‘moral policing’ attacks in Mangalore by the Sri Ram Sena, who attacked women
drinking at a local pub, is emblematic of the fallout."

this is just way out in the left field. No where has the group that carried this out claimed
any relationship with the Pakistan problem. This is just silly. You are conflating two issues
that have no relationship with each other.


5) "Mumbai’s attacks seem to have unleashed intense religious biases and right-wing sentiments"

There have been absolutely no, nada, zilch, sifar cases of communal violence in India related
to the Mumbai attack. Instead Indian muslim groups have come out with strong statements
condemming the attacks and have denied burial in muslim cemeteries to the attackers.

more later ..

Rakesh,
well written...this is election year and economy is not doing good as well...
So, Congress have to use Deepak Kapoor to talk about surgical strike etc. etc...In Pakistan, the politicians say what their Armed forces want them to say...in India, the armed forces say, what the Govt. wants them to say....Whom he ( Deepak Kapoor) was trying to fool?
The current Govt. is worst Indians ever got (in foreign policy matters)...
India should ignore the Mumbai problem and let US and Israel handle it...Putting pressure on Pakistan directly to deliver, is something, which creates hostile environment and which in turn,make GoP to handle Pakistani public pressure....The 24/7 english news channels are main propaganda machine to create such a situation....
Every year 1000s of people die in railway accident....
With giving due importance to musla /islamic barbarism, it is possible to evade it through honest and efficient administration...

'Between a nuclear-armed theocracy and an imperfect democracy, New Delhi understands that, despite all their faults, Islamabad’s current leadership is better than the alternative. '

I disagree. It's Musharraf who stopped the militancy in Kashmir. Zardari otoh is not in a position to deliver on that count forget abt Bombay. Mush was a single window system for India or the US.

Whatever said and done India's pusillanimity was exposed during post-Bombay diplomacy with Pakistan. India blew hot and cold i/o being steady on putting pressure methodically. India failed to call Pakistan's bluff when they warned us indirectly abt the nuclear flashpoint.

China would definitely teach its diplomatic corps abt India's inability to handle a small country like Pakistan.

Yes, I do read the interacts. And I would certainly appreciate your comments.

Rakesh,

If you read the interacts here, let me know.

I have a lot to say about this article, but if you are not here to read it, it will be a waste :)