Pakistan activates shield as India and rattles its saber

For the past couple of weeks or so, India has been ratcheting up tension and carrying out a war of nerves against Pakistan. Inevitably, threats emanating from across the border are forcing Pakistan to resort to certain defensive measures to protect itself from the threat of Indian military action. Pakistanis are concerned that India may try to emulate the United States by launching air strikes against suspected terrorist targets located on Pakistan's soil.

Who knows where such adventurism is going to lead.

On Monday, citizens of Islamabad, Lahore and some other cities were taken aback to see low-flying jets carry out air defense exercises, which the Pakistan Air Force laconically explained as stepped up vigilance in view of the current environment. It will be recalled that a few days earlier Indian warplanes had intruded into Pakistan's air space near Lahore and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which is administered by Pakistan, possibly to carry out reconnaissance as a prelude to air raids.

On the 21st External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had thundered that India was keeping "all options open" to deal with the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. In a dig aimed at the United States, he claimed that efforts made by the international community to deal with the situation were "not enough" India would use "all measures" necessary to tackle the problem.

Without sharing any proof whatsoever with Pakistan, India has been blaming Pakistan-based defunct Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and its alleged front organization Jamiat-ud-Dawa for the Mumbai attacks. India had asked Pakistan to take action against these outfits. In response to a decision of the U.N. Security Council, which has put Jamiat-ud-Dawa on its list of organizations that engage in terrorism, Pakistan has banned this organization as well.

Not satisfied with this gesture, India has reiterated its demand that Pakistan must hand over a large number of individuals to India for questioning. In stories leaked to the media, unnamed Indians have also blamed Pakistan's intelligence service the ISI for being involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Ruling Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, who normally comes across as a benign, sober leader, too has warned that while India was a peace-loving country, it could give a "befitting reply" to those involved in the Mumbai attacks.

On the diplomatic front, India has convened a meeting of its key ambassadors for the purpose of launching a worldwide diplomatic campaign against Pakistan. The aim of this campaign appears to be to put Pakistan in the dock as a sponsor of terrorism.

One can understand that the Congress government in India is under mounting pressure from the Indian people to do something concrete against the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage. One can also appreciate that the Indian government’s hold on power is being threatened by the BJP opposition.

Yet the true measure of leadership is the willingness to act in the larger national interest, on the basis of logic and reason, and not to be governed by passion and anger based on unconfirmed suspicion. The central question that the Indian government needs to address is the following: is it in Pakistan’s interest to sponsor an act of war against a major industrial and commercial centre such as Mumbai?

India is unfortunately overlooking the hard fact that Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism and has lost far more people in the global war against terror than India. It is in India's interest to co-operate with Pakistan in fighting the scourge of terrorism instead of treating Pakistan as a pariah and enemy country.