India-Pakistan stand off: India must win through diplomacy not war

By- Paritosh Chakma

In the India-Pakistan stand off, the first round has been won by India after Pakistan was forced to admit that the lone surviving terrorist in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, Ajmal Amir Kasav is a Pakistani citizen. The admission has come at a great cost: sacking of its National Security Advisor Maj. Gen. (retd) Mahmud Ali Durrani which also reveals possible cracks in the top leaderships in Pakistan.

India must harvest on this victory further to bring those responsible for the Mumbai carnage to justice and dismantle all terror networks by Pakistan.

India must try not to play the “war card” as it only benefits Pakistan. Since after Mumbai, Pakistan has tried to create war hysteria to divert attention of the international community from the real issue of terrorism to something else – tension and possible war with India. Hence, it successfully mobilized troops in the eastern borders from the western borders with Afghanistan where the Pakistan army are aiding the US forces to fight the Talebans.

The FBI has backed India’s claims linking Mumbai attackers to Pakistan. But it is surprising that India has so far depended on the US alone. It will be naïve to only depend on the US to pressurize Pakistan as it is highly unlikely that the US will isolate this South Asian Islamic country at the cost of its own interests in the region and beyond. Even the Barak Obama administration will have to depend on Pakistan in America’s war on terror.

India must be brutal. No, it does not mean going to war. India must launch a consolidated, well planned and sustained diplomatic assault on Pakistan. This India can achieve by invoking UN Security Council resolution 1373 against terrorism to put international pressure on Pakistan.