Washington: Pakistan`s denial over the terrorism issue poses the single greatest threat to establishing peace in South Asia, says a US expert pointing to Islamabad`s lack of action against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terror outfit.
"Pakistan`s failure to shut down the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) more than one year after its attacks in Mumbai-and with knowledge that the group is planning to conduct similar attacks-leads to the conclusion that Pakistan seeks to provoke an Indo-Pak military conflict," writes Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
"Indeed, given (Pakistani-American terror suspect) David Headley`s revelations about ties between the terrorist group and the Pakistani Army, the lack of action against LeT defies rationality," she wrote in a piece on ‘Managing Indo-Pak Tensions’.
The case has finally awakened US officials to the gravity of the international threat posed by Pakistan`s failure to crack down on terrorist groups, including those that primarily target India, Curtis noted. "It has also raised questions about whether there was official Pakistani involvement in the Mumbai attacks."
"A rational Pakistani response to the Headley case would be to offer the US full cooperation," Curtis said. "This would bolster Pakistan`s anti-terrorism credentials and clear its name. No responsible country wants to be accused of official complicity in terrorism."
"...Twisting the facts on Mumbai to try to gain diplomatic mileage on India will provide diminishing returns to Pakistan in the post-Headley world," she said.
Pakistanis may find it easier to cry foul and blame the US for siding with India over the LeT and Headley investigations, Curtis said, but the "US must stick to its counter-terrorism principles, even as it encourages peace and dialogue in the region.”
The US’ role in the historical Indo-Pak dispute is to provide objectivity and to point out to each side the likely consequences of not seeking accommodation with each other, Curtis said.
Islamabad, meanwhile, must be realistic. It should recognise that Washington will take an uncompromising position against all forms of terrorism, especially when its own citizens are targets, as they were in the Mumbai rampage, she said.
The South Asia expert said India and Pakistan have a historic opportunity to narrow their differences and begin a fruitful dialogue. Second-time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whom Obama rightly called a "man of peace", is willing to go the extra mile to move talks forward.
"But... before he can take a chance on dialogue with Pakistan, he must be able to tell the Indian people with confidence that Pakistan is making every effort to prevent another Mumbai-like attack," she said.
IANS
