Reversing the decades-old jehadi culture of Pakistan would no doubt take time. But it would be a gross error to believe that Pakistan will not be able to reverse jehadi terrorism, especially that propagated across the borders because of domestic opposition to or due to inadequate control over the jehadis. But those who put together the institution of jehadi terrorism for political purposes know how best to dismantle them, if they want to do so. At no stage has General Musharraf expressed his inability to control terrorism. There is also no evidence of the “perilous price” he is supposed to have paid for co-operating with the US. The issue, therefore, is more of Pakistan’s willingness to control terrorism rather than its ability to do so.This is the reality that British foreign minister Jack Straw would need to address. General Musharraf asserts that nothing is happening on the Line of Control. But the reality is that cross-border terrorism continues unabated and, in fact, targets the innocents even more than before. Some changes of personnel in the army and the ISI have taken place. But it would be difficult to describe them as representing changes in the policy of relying on jehadi extremism for terrorism. What is amazing is the enthusiasm of the western media and governments to find excuses for inaction by Pakistan. This is in spite of the fact that fewer Pakistani soldiers have died fighting terrorists than the westerners killed by terrorists inside Pakistan. The US and its allies have failed to deliver on their promises of stopping cross-border terrorism.Jack Straw would also do well to note the growing disillusionment in India about the western powers’ commitment to the war against terrorism beyond their narrow national agendas. Serious questions have also been raised as to why India should have to depend upon the US and the UK to make Islamabad change its destructive policies. This is eroding the confidence in international diplomacy to produce the desired results, and consequently increasing the belief that India would have to go it alone. As it is, the IMF, Paris Club and other western financial institutions continue to subsidise Pakistan’s defence budget in the name of supporting its weak economy and as a reward for co-operation in the war against terrorism. But this subsidy in reality also reduces Pakistan’s net cost of military confrontation and possible war. It is, therefore, not surprising to find Musharraf being so dismissive of the military deployments on the borders in the context of which he was threatening nuclear weapons only the other day.
