‘Pressure on Pak as our coercive diplomacy begins to show results’

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh today said the pressure built on Pakistan, action against the Al Qaeda and other terrorist outfits, ...

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh today said the pressure built on Pakistan, action against the Al Qaeda and other terrorist outfits, Pervez Musharraf’s criticism of terrorism and international pressure on Islamabad to clean up its act are a result of New Delhi’s coercive diplomacy.

Addressing the Combined Commanders Conference today, he, however, said the real impact will be felt only in the coming summers. If there is a fall in infiltration and terrorist activities, New Delhi’s coercive diplomacy would have achieved its aims, he said. Troop deployment in UN missions, the patrolling of Malacca Straits by the Indian and US navies, joint training and exercises with foreign militaries and intelligence sharing on terrorist activities are learnt to have figured in the conference.

Meanwhile, General S. Padmanabhan, chief of the army staff, will leave on a week-long visit to the US on Monday. Padmanabhan will hold discussions on joint training between Indian and American forces, especially high altitude and desert commando training. The navies are set to resume the Malabar series of exercises. INS Sharda, Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel has taken over from USS Cowpens patrolling of the seas till the Malacca Straits.

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Since early March, USS Cowpens had been serving as a military escort to vessels providing logistical support for the campaign against global terrorism.

Following several days of turnover in which Cowpens and INS Sharda teamed together during a combined escort operation, Sharda relieved Cowpens as part of the multi-national cooperative effort worldwide to protect shipping from terrorism and sea bandits.

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