Pakistan finds India’s terrorist number one

The conflict between India and Pakistan continues. It seems that there is no way out of the situation: the countries do not wish to wage war with each other, but they do not want to find a compromise either. The news reports say that Pakistan is preparing “a counter-strike.” Islamabad has prepared the lists of terrorists to be handed over to Delhi: the terrorists living in India and accused of organizing acts of terrorism in Pakistan. The list may include the incumbent head of India's Home Ministry, Lal Krishna Advani, who is known to be a follower of the tough policy in the relations with Pakistan. Advani is accused of being involved in a group of extremists who were preparing to assasinate the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, back in 1947! Well then, the Pakistani government does not want to forget the terrorists of the past, but what were the special services of Pakistan doing for these 55 years? Why didn’t they ask India to deliver Advani before? He was not hiding, as it seems.

In addition, the Pakistani administration has not yet decided to deliver those terrorists to India that performed the acts of terrorism on Indian territory. Islamabad’s claim to deliver the terrorists is nothing more that an attempt to catch Delhi’s initiative. President Musharraf has put forward quite a number of peaceful suggestions, and he even started to fight with religious extremists in Pakistan. However, the main claim of the Indian government, to deliver the terrorists, has not been followed through. Now, Pakistan also has a list of its own. With this list, President Musharraf is most likely trying to strengthen his posisition. It is needless to mention that his support of the USA’s anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, as well as the struggle with the radicals in Pakistan, did nothing to raise his popularity at home. For the time being, there is only one thing clear: the conflict between India and Pakistan is not going to be over within the nearest future, since Islamabad’s latest initiatives will not lead to the resumption of the dialogue between the two feuding countries.

Oleg Artyukov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov

AP photo: Indian Home Minister L.K. Advani