Date Written    :  Dec 19, 2001
Date Modified :   Dec 19, 2001

Despite Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's rejection of its offer, Pakistan has yet again officially  requested India to agree for a joint probe to investigate the allegations of the involvement of ISI and two Pak-based terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaida, in the attack on Indian Parliament on Dec 13.

It was significant that the official request was made once again after it was firmly rejected by Vajpayee in his remarks before the BJP parliamentary party on Dec 18 and also during his speech in Parliament on Dec 19.  Pakistan was under pressure to take some action against the terrorists operating from its country.  Now that Osama Bin Laden  is in Pakistan, the pressure will increase day by day.

India should take this opportunity and ask for a "joint action" and not a "joint probe", since the probe is already over and it is clear that all five terrorists who got killed were Pakistani nationals. The whole world now knows the truth. Although it seems highly unlikely, but if Pervez is sincere enough he should agree to the idea of joint Indo-Pak-American action against the terrorists. As such,  Pervez seems to be against the Jihadis, but unable to act against them unless and until pressure is put upon him. This is because the other Pakistani baby - the ISI,  seems to be  working closely with Al-Qaida network and has become independent of the Musharraf  government.

Previous experience shows that when US started pounding Afghanistan and did not even stop during Ramzan,  Musharraf slowly started withdrawing support from the Taliban regime. Pakistan was the last country to withdraw support to Taliban regime because it was hard for them to withdraw support to the Taliban which was an extension of its own regime established before Pervez Musharraf took charge.

Now that the Taliban regime (almost) no-more exists in Afghanistan, the Al-Qaida will form a shadow  Government in exile inside Pakistan.  The Musharraf  government will pretend that it does not know anything about OBL and Al-Qaida operating inside Pakistan. But needless to add,  the ISI and quite a few Military commanders will have the full knowledge about their 'Guests'.

Thousands of  Taliban fighters have already entered Pakistan, few of them with the support of Pakistani Military.  A Taliban shadow regime may also soon be established in Pakistan supported by the Al-Qaida network.  This will create more problems,  not only for Afghanistan, India and America but the whole world.  

The end result of all this would mean a repeat of the cycle of the Sep 11, sponsored by Al-Qaida Taliban jihadis operating from Pakistani soil and launching a second wave of terror attacks on the USA and other western countries. It would then remain to be seen if the Americans would tackle the new hosts of the Al-Qaida viz. Pakistan, in the same way as they have treated the Taliban?

So now we feel that this is the right time for America, India and (don't be surprised) the Musharraf regime in Pakistan to jointly take action against the Jihadis on Pakistani soil - where lies the root of the global Islamic Jihad.  

We know that this may be called a hypothetical situation and an extraordinary suggestion. But as till today,  the US 'convinced' Pakistani President Musharraf  to support them in the war against terrorism, can they not extend the same Military strategy to uproot the Al-Qaida and remnants of the Taliban (along with the Jihadis inside and outside the Pakistani Military).  This way Pakistan will be free of the terrorists -- and that is what Bush, Blair, Putin, Pervez, Vajpayee and the rest of world wants.  So how about doing this now?

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