Old habit - India blames Pakistan

True to habit, India started blaming Pakistan for the terrorist attack on it soil even before the day was out – this time for the condemnable events of Mumbai.

Several facts should provide a reality check. First, the Russians have revealed they had provided advance information to New Delhi about the attacks, but the Indians did not respond.

Second, the BBC interviewed a cook who works for Leopold Café where the terrorists initiated their operations. He said that six or seven people had come to the joint, got something to eat, along with alcoholic beverages but refused to pay, saying in English they had no money (Nov 27). After getting drunk, they started firing at the people in the vicinity.

If these were Lashkar-i-Taiba operatives or some other Muslim extremists, they would never have consumed liquor because Islam forbids that. Also, the Lashkar has denied any involvement. It may be interesting to recall that in March 2000, when President Bill Clinton had reached India on a state visit, 36 Sikhs were massacred by a group of people dressed in Indian army uniforms, as partly narrated by another correspondent (Nov. 23).

That time too Pakistan-based militants were blamed. However, an eyewitness had revealed that these people had been drinking. A subsequent inquiry by a retired Indian judge had found Indian agencies responsible for the killings. The obvious reason for this deceit was to prove to the dignitary that Pakistan was abetting terrorism, so as to get it declared a state sponsor.

Fortunately, Mr Clinton was able to see through this Indian game and has been quoted by his secretary of state as saying it was the work of Hindu militants. But, this slap on New Delhi’s face hasn’t ended its propensity to defame Pakistan.Similarly, after the attack on Indian parliament, Islamabad was blamed and one of the suspects, a Kashmiri man named Afzal Guru, was sentenced to die. But, some Indian human rights activists had shown the police findings to be wrong and demanded his release.

Third, Indian security people claim to have arrested one of the Mumbai terrorists, saying he is a Pakistani named Ajmal Amir Kamal hailing from Faridkot in Multan (Nov 28). However, a BBC correspondent visited the area and found that there is no such village near Multan. There is one near Khanewal having 2,000 residents, but they said nobody by this name ever lived there (Nov 28).

Fourth, for some of the past cases Hindu fanatics have now been found responsible, such as Lt Col Purohit. In fact, the chief of Mumbai’s anti-terrorist squad, Hemant Karkare, who unfortunately got killed in the latest episode, had reportedly been threatened by some of these Hindu extremists after he found leads to their culpability. From the foregoing facts, it would be prudent to investigate highly trained Hindu militants with army links, for the Mumbai carnage.