Opinion: Fight It Differently

By Hamed Muneer

India must work on an international coalition against Pakistani terror groups.

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice sent a strong message to Pakistan during her visit to New Delhi and Islamabad. Shortly after Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari said on television that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks were “non-state actors”, Rice pointed out in New Delhi that even non-state actors operated within the confines of a state and must face “strong action”. The reference was to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is suspected to have carried out the Mumbai attacks, and whose members operate openly in Pakistan. In Islamabad, Rice said after meeting Zardari on Thursday that Pakistan was ready to cooperate with investigations into the attacks.

Despite a chorus of voices demanding Indian military action against Pakistan, such a course of action, at this point, is not advisable. Not only would it not serve the purpose of taking out terrorist groups operating within Pakistan, it would in fact serve the terrorists’ purpose. It is likely that the Pakistani civilian government had little to do with the Mumbai attacks. But there is strong evidence to suspect that elements within the Pakistani army and the ISI were involved in planning the attack. It’s obvious that the civilian government has little authority over the army and Islamist terror groups. The LeT and the group’s public face, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, have a free run in Pakistan.

The best way forward would be to build an international coalition, led by the US, to help Pakistan tackle terrorist groups within its border, something that the civilian government is evidently unable to do. Strategic analysts have suggested establishing an international force to root out terrorist bases in Pakistan. Since there is a UN resolution asking member states to curb terror, India must now work towards a UN Security Council resolution to permit strikes against terror camps within Pakistan. Such a course of action has the backing of the major opposition parties in India, including the BJP and the Left. Within the UNSC, China, a traditional ally of Pakistan, would have to be convinced of the urgency of such a resolution. At the same time, New Delhi must get the US and other global powers to put economic pressure on Islamabad. The Pakistani economy is in dire straits and the IMF has approved a $7.6 billion loan to Pakistan. As the accompanying article argues, this assistance must be tied to specific assurances that the Pakistani government stops funding those elements in its security apparatus that promote terror outfits.

Such a strategy would require complex and patient diplomacy. But it might better serve the goal of dealing a severe blow to terrorists in Pakistan than a premature India-Pakistan war, which can lead to dire consequences for both sides.