We apologize to our readers
for the delayed release of this issue. We hoped to
cover the completion of the first fifty years of
the Department of Atomic Energy.
Given the sensitivity of this task, the issue
development took a fair bit of time. In the last
fifty years the Department of Atomic Energy has
performed a great service to the nation by
fostering high technology research and development
capabilities. A great emphasis has been laid on
indigenous effort in the organization, and despite
several obstacles created by technology denial
regimes, the Department has been successful in
meeting India's needs. The Bharat-Rakshak team
takes this opportunity to congratulate the people
at the Department of Atomic Energy on this
auspicious occasion.
As readers
are aware, from April 20, 2004 to May 10, 2004,
India held the 14th Lok Sabha election.
The distinguished Dr. Manmohan Singh was
sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of
India. We
congratulate the elected government on its victory
and toast the democratic traditions of the Indian
people.
The
situation in Pakistan grows more difficult with
each passing day. Pakistani Army support for Task
Force 121 operations in Waziristan and for
counter-terrorist operations elsewhere is creating
a state of confrontation between the former allies
in Pakistani military-jihadi complex. This
internal conflict in the complex would usually
spill over as sectarian violence against Christian
and Shia minorities but with the murder of Maulana
Nizamuddin Shamzai, a highly respected Pakistani
Deobandi Cleric and one of the strongest voices in
the Jihad machine, the Rubicon has been crossed.
The brazen attack on the convoy of the V Corps
Commander Lt. Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hayat in the heart
of Karachi’s ‘Green Zone’ is merely a sign
of things to come. It is interesting to note that
after the attack on Gen. Hayat, the Pakistan Army
appears to have moved very purposefully in Wana
and in a stunning airborne attack killed the
leader of the Al Qaida supporters, Nek Mohammed.
More generally speaking, apparent Pakistani
efficiency in US led counter terrorist operations
has peaked after the formal announcement of the
Major Non-NATO Ally status for Pakistan. Pakistani
opinion editorials now speak about a more strident
stand vis-à-vis India on the Kashmir issue.
Several American experts appear to be suggesting
to the Pakistanis that the Manmohan Singh
Government is unable to take strong steps against
Pakistan and that its conciliatory tone merely
masks a deep sense of helplessness over Pakistan.
While the growth of Pakistani-American ties
and the fostering of a moderate, modern Pakistan
would seem like a positive thing, statements that
encourage Pakistan to take an unsustainable
position against India, do not really serve US
interests in the long term. Perhaps the thinking
in Washington is that should a US-controlled level
of confrontation develop between India and
Pakistan, then perhaps the Jihadi angst against
Musharraf and his support to US operations could
be deflected into places like Kashmir. It suffices
to say that this kind of thinking lacks depth.
We
also note with considerable concern that emergence
of the Osama Brigade and the Muslim Defence Force
in the Amparai province of Sri Lanka. Readers may
recall that the current phase of international
support for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
has its roots in the LTTE’s post Sept-11 promise
of support to US counter terrorist operations
against the Al Qaida in South East Asia. The Sri
Lankan peace process owes much to this rise in
international acceptability for the LTTE. As a
part of the peace process, the LTTE was given
administrative control over the northern and
eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and soon after
taking control the LTTE began a campaign of ethnic
cleansing against Tamil Muslims residing there.
The LTTE has a very old grudge against
their Tamil Muslim brothers, as the Tamil Muslims
have always sided with the Sri Lankan government
in its fight against the LTTE. Today the Tamil
Muslims find themselves between a rock and a hard
place; the Sri Lankan Government cannot directly
provide them security for fear of jeopardizing the
peace process, and the LTTE with its new found
power is bent on eroding their presence in the
LTTE controlled areas. It is quite understandable
at a time like this that the Tamil Muslims will
turn to international Islamist interest groups for
support. The Osama Brigade and the Muslim Defence
Force suggest that at least some international
Islamist groups are attempting to court this
community. Even more ominous is the appointment of
a former ISI officer Col (r) Bashir Wali as the
Pakistani Ambassador to Sri Lanka. Wali’s long
association with ISI sponsored Jihadi groups will
serve as a catalyst to the growth of groups like
the Osama Brigade and the Muslim Defence Force.
This in turn will go a long way in establishing a
base for the Al Qaida in Sri Lanka. The
implications of this are quite grim.
Afghanistan
continues to hobble along a path of meager
international aid and worsening security
situation. The
initially jubilant atmosphere in Kabul after the
removal of the Taliban has been replaced by a more
somber tone as merchants worry about safety and
dwindling business.
American attempts to bolster security by
aggressive patrolling coupled with various
offensives in South Waziristan region clearly
point to Pakistani role in destabilizing
Afghanistan.
Security measures have not been effective
in stemming the tide of violence that continues to
engulf the southern provinces of Afghanistan.
News reports indicate that the Taliban
briefly took control of a district in Zabul before
being removed by allied forces.
For the past few weeks, Zabul province was
the scene of several large battles since the
removal of the Taliban.
U.S and Afghan troops engaged enemy forces
in the southwestern portion of Zabul near Kandahar
province and in the Daycophan district bordering
Uruzgan in an attempt to stem the further spread
of Taliban influence.
The postponement of elections in
Afghanistan was predictable and inevitable in the
face of spiraling violence ongoing for more than a
year.
The
recent events in Iraq recall the phrase; the road
to hell is paved with good intentions.
Over the past 14 months, numerous goals
have been ascribed to the mission in Iraq from
preempting terrorism, destruction of WMD, and
deliverance to democracy.
Generally, the events of the past 2 months
in Iraq can be summarized as a bloodletting.
Daily headlines speak of coalition
casualties, regular bombings, the siege and
massacre in Fallujah, and the damaging reports of
abusive conduct in Abu Ghraib prison. The widely
publicized beheading of an American civilian
contractor, Nick Berg, by Al Zarqawi as
“revenge” for treatment of prisoners in Abu
Ghraib is meant to strike a cord in the Arab world
for perceived humiliation and thereby propel Al
Tawhid into prominence.
Interestingly, the death of Daniel Pearl in
Pakistan bears a morbid resemblance.
Furthermore, the assassination of
President of the Governing Council Izzadine
Saleem, Deputy
Foreign Minister Bassam Salih Kubba, and the
attempted assassination of Deputy Health Minister
Ammar al-Safar in the weeks leading up to the
power handover ominously foreshadow increasing
violence and targeting of political figures in the
coming months.
On
June 11, 2004 former President Ronald Reagan was
laid to rest after succumbing to Alzheimer’s
disease. We
extend our heart-felt condolences to the American
people over the loss of a man who signified steely
determination against the enemies of freedom.
Cover
Image Source: www.dae.gov.in
