Don146;t Pak a punch

In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has risen above the rapidly degenerating Indian public discourse with Pakistan. Over the last few days, our foreign office has reacted, in a knee-jerk manner, to every Pakistani statement on the unfortunate situation in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi8217;s rhetoric will have no consequence other than delighting India8217;s adversaries in Pakistan. The daily blather on Pakistan takes us back to the bad old days, when South Block used to think issuing statements was one half of diplomacy. The rest was about posturing for the benefit of domestic audiences.

India8217;s current problem is not with the words emanating from Pakistan. It is far deeper. Well before New Delhi and Srinagar made a mess of the Amarnath land issue, the Pakistan army and its intelligence arm, the ISI, were signalling their determination to wreck the peace process. If the Pak army repeatedly violated the ceasefire on the Line of Control, the ISI has stepped up its support to cross-border terrorism and, as has been alleged by the United States, plotted the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. In the face of all this, Pakistan8217;s civilian leaders seemed utterly helpless. Equally significant has been the Pak army8217;s decision to revive tensions with India when it is losing control of its western borders amidst the escalating war between the US and NATO forces on the one hand and the Taliban, al Qaida and their allies in the tribal belt on the other.

As the Pak army desperately seeks to shift domestic attention from its western frontiers to the east, the least India could have done was to avoid self-goals. Having just kicked one in, New Delhi should bite its tongue and focus on restoring order in J038;K. Once we get there, India must differentiate between the Pak army and the civilian leaders and help the latter prevail over the former. In his Red Fort speech, the PM has hinted at a nuanced approach, when he refused to employ harsh words against Pakistan. Instead, he 8220;welcomed8221; the emergence of the 8220;democratic8221; forces across the border and called the terrorists and their supporters 8220;enemies of the people of India and Pakistan8221;. We hope this is a sign that India8217;s policy towards Pakistan at this important juncture will be driven by a cold logic of the head rather than the viscera in the gut.