A nation in the dock

The Union Home Ministry has made quite a breakthrough by confirming theidentities of all the five hijackers. Their masks have been ripped off withthe publication of names, photos and places of residence based on thetestimony of their associates in Mumbai and some of the hostages. That meansif the hijackers ever leave Pakistan they can be pursued and tracked down byInterpol and anti-terrorist organisations all over the world. Second,Pakistan can no longer pretend they are unknown persons or Indians. WereIslamabad indeed as respectful of international norms of behaviour as itspublic pronouncements suggest, it would promptly follow up the leadsprovided by Lal Krishna Advani and round up the named Pakistanis. That isnot what is going to happen but Islamabad is bound to feel cornered. Indiashould persist with its demand for an investigation and arrests by Pakistaniauthorities even as its own wide-ranging investigations continue.

For all those other nations, including the US, which have been slow toaccept the fact of direct Pakistani complicity in the hijack, it will beharder to look the oth-er way. With the kind of evidence Indian agencies areaccumulating, Pakistan8217;s role in aiding and abetting internationallawlessness and acts of terror is certain to come in for some harshscrutiny. That may not necessarily lead to the kind of action from theinternational community that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would wishfor but it could mean an international environment less tolerant ofPakistan8217;s behaviour. Although Indians may need no further convincing, muchof the evidence presented so far for the Pakistani hand in the hijack may betaken by others to be too circumstantial and inconclusive to be clinching.Even so no one can fail to note that a strong case is taking shape from thepieces: Pakistani diplomats turning up at Kathmandu airport just beforeFlight IC 814 took off, the hijackers8217; demands, that two of the threereleased militants have taken shelter in Pakistan, and Islamabad8217;s displayof special interest in the welfare of Maulana Azhar Masood.

Armed with the names and nationalities of the hijackers, India should beable to give world-wide publicity to their crimes and demand they be sent tothis country to stand trial. Like the Lockerbie case, years ofinvestigations and pursuit inside and outside the courts may be involved.India should not give up but pursue them relentlessly. It is futile toexpect Washington and other nations to take the political step of declaringPakistan a terrorist state. But they have said they are willing to cooperatewith India in seeing that justice is done and the hijackers are brought totrial. India8217;s goal should be the launching of an international manhunt forthe hijackers. Pakistan or any other country which harbours them can expectto come under considerable international pressure to extradite them to thiscountry. India should leave no stone unturned in the battle to expose thehand behind other acts of terrorism which have increased in the Valley inrecent weeks. Repeated violence there taken with the hijacking can only beseen as part of a Pakistani campaign of revenge for the military anddiplomatic defeats in Kargil.