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Among
Friends
We
wish our readers a happy New Year and a very happy
Republic Day. The year is off to an auspicious
start with the establishment of the Strategic
Forces Command on January 4, 2003 and the Agni-SR
test on January 9, 2003. These developments signal
a sea change in the Indian nuclear posture. In the
light of General Musharraf’s comments on
December 30th, 2002, the discussions
emerging from the National Security Advisory
Board, on moving away from the “No First Use”
posture appear well motivated. Bharat-Rakshak
takes this opportunity to extend its
congratulations to Air Marshal T. M Asthana on his
appointment as Chief of the Strategic Forces
Command.
We
also welcome President Saeed Mohammed Khatami to
the fifty-third Republic Day. His visit opens a
new chapter in Indo-Iranian ties. A sher by
Majrooh Sultanpuri that comes to mind at this juncture is
Main
akela hi chala tha janibe-e-manzil magar
Log sath aate gaye aur karavan banta gaya
(I
set off alone on a journey, towards my
destination,
and
people
kept joining me, and my caravan (endeavor) grew.)
We
note with considerable pleasure the return of
Messrs Isak and Muviah of the NSCN. This marks a
major step forward in bringing the North-East
closer to normalcy. Though many challenges lie
ahead we hope the negotiations with the NSCN
encourage other groups in the North-East to seek a
peaceful resolution.
On
January 29, 2002, President Bush in the State of
the Union Address spoke of an axis of
evil.
In the year that followed the speech,
attention has focused on Iraq and North Korea.
These states are linked by their quest for
weapons of mass destruction and threats to US
allies. They
are also linked by another common bond, Pakistan.
Pakistan
is known to have provided both Iraq and North
Korea with nuclear technology.
North Korea paid for this technology with
ballistic missiles, and Iraq paid for this
technology with money. The role of high-level
government officials like Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan
clearly labels, Pakistan, (in the words of Jim
Hoagland) as a nuclear enabler. Pakistan
fits the criteria of an axis of evil state.
It threatens peace, arms terrorists, seeks
to harm US allies and engages in nuclear
blackmail. Pakistan's
omission from the axis would call into question
the legitimacy of the axis of evil.
Pakistan
threatens India by supporting terrorist groups
like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the Jaish-e-Muhammed.
Pakistan routinely uses nuclear blackmail to ward
off a strong Indian response against these groups.
The US also has similar problems with Pakistan;
the latter has reduced its cooperation in the War
on Terror, undercut American efforts to stabilize
Afghanistan, continues to shelter Al Qaida
terrorists and is a hub for terrorist activities
as far away as South East Asia. Recently Pakistan’s Waziristan
Scouts attacked US troops who tried to apprehend
terrorists seeking refuge across the Durand line.
Curiously,
the legality of US troops crossing the Durand
Line does not arise as the line itself no longer
exists. The Durand Line treaty expired in 1993 and was never renewed by the Governments of
Pakistan and Afghanistan. So effectively the
Durand Line has become a “Line of Control (LoC)”
that can be crossed if security needs deem it.
Cover
image source: www.dailytimes.com.pk
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