Militant attacks may dampen talks

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, SEPT. 9. The stepped-up attacks by the Pakistan-based militant outfits on the paramilitary camps in Jammu and Kashmir in the last few days does not augur well for the meeting scheduled between the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistan military ruler and President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in New York in the fourth week of September.

The militant outfits have not only been indiscriminate in their strikes but been openly advertising their `successes'. The leadership of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba not only took the responsibility for the major militant attacks in the last few days but been proud of the action of their boys as well.

The military establishment in Islamabad claims that it has no control over the militant outfits operating in the valley but there are few takers for this explanation. In fact, Pakistan insists on describing the cadres of various militant outfits as `freedom fighters' and believes that the source of tension in the valley is the `repression' unleashed by Indian forces.

Pattern in violence

There has been a pattern in the activities of the militant outfits. The militant outfits step up their offensive, either verbally or on the ground, whenever there is an effort towards normalisation of the India-Pakistan ties. So the question arises whether the stepped-up activities of the Pakistan-based militant outfits in the recent days has anything do with the coming meeting between Gen. Musharraf and Mr. Vajpayee in New York.

The unofficial explanation in the military establishment for the sudden surge in militant activities in the valley is that it is a response to the stepped-up activities by Indian forces against the various militant outfits. The recent weeks saw a big jump in the casualties of the militant outfit cadres. The matter of concern is the silence of the Musharraf Government in condemning the activities of the militant outfits particularly when they involve innocent civilians.

The case involving the schoolchildren on a picnic near Pahalgam on Saturday illustrates the point. But from time to time, Islamabad has been quick to condemn what it believes as `indiscriminate' and `excessive use of force' by Indian forces.

The reluctance on the part of Pakistan to address the issue of `cross-border terrorism' had derailed the Agra summit. Both sides almost ended up signing a joint declaration covering a wide range of subjects of mutual concern but for the disagreement on the issue of cross-border terrorism. The talks in New York could not progress far until Islamabad is willing to understand the concerns of New Delhi on the activities of the `outside elements'.

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Section  : International
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