Kupwara146;s symbolism

The symbolism of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee8217;s address to the soldiers at Kupwara, 25 km from the Line of Control in Jammu and ...

The symbolism of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee8217;s address to the soldiers at Kupwara, 25 km from the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, is of greater significance than his actual speech. The message implicit in his interaction with the jawans, who are in a state of war-readiness, is that India is prepared to face any challenge to its security. It is meant as much for those across the border as it is for those who have been promising New Delhi that they would use their persuasive skills into forcing Pakistan to end its overt and covert support to terrorism. It is no surprise, also, that Vajpayee8217;s first stop was at the hospital where the victims of the terrorist attack at Kaluchak are undergoing treatment. That attack was a reminder that the US, which had promised to use its authority to force Pakistan to crack down on terrorist organisations operating from its soil, had failed. There is no reason to believe that there has been a turnaround in the situation following President Pervez Musharraf8217;s promises on controlling the jehadis. What8217;s worse, there has been a rise in terrorist activities as the killing of Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone on Tuesday suggests.

Given this backdrop, Vajpayee8217;s message that 8216;8216;nobody should think that the threshold of our tolerance has no limit8217;8217; should hit home 8212; both in Islamabad and in Washington. For the West, particularly the US, terrorism might have begun on September 11 but for India it is a menace the country has been experiencing for over a decade. The kind of terrorist attack that India has witnessed, whether it was the October 1 strike when the J038;K Assembly was targeted or the December 13 one, when Parliament was attacked, would not have been possible without the active support of Pakistan. There is enough evidence to suggest that the Pakistan government has extended every kind of support to the jehadis in the mistaken belief that India will eventually get tired of fighting such elements. Pakistan feels encouraged to support the militants because the cost involved is minimal while India has to spend an enormous sum in beefing up its security. In practical terms, the war against India began a long time ago. All that India wants is an end to this.

Now that the US and others have a clear idea of India8217;s determination to use all the means at its command to seek an end to the proxy war, they should put pressure on General Musharraf, who has the wherewithal to take on the jehadis. They should also realise that although Musharraf claims to be on their side in the war against terrorism, he has been clandestinely supporting the Al-Qaeda, remnants of which are still around on his territory. Of course, the US which has even a military presence in Pakistan cannot be oblivious of the General8217;s double game. An Indo-Pak confrontation is what the jehadis desire most of all, because not only will it undermine India but it will destabilise the US-led global coalition against terrorism as well. The only way the fight against terrorism can be taken forward is to put pressure on Pakistan to end the menace of terrorism. The US has the military, diplomatic and financial capacity to force the General8217;s hand and thereby usher peace on the subcontinent.