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| Mumbai massacre and beyond |
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Tuesday, December 02, 2008
This is with reference to Aakar Patel’s articles (Nov 29, 30 and Dec 1) on the Mumbai attacks. First and foremost the man on the street in Pakistan is sad over this tragedy and sympathises with Indian people because he can clearly relate to what has happened as he is facing the same threat in his own country. The common man also knows that the real motive behind this carnage — which at the moment is not being seen by anyone in India — is to make India and Pakistan go to war. He also understands the anger of the Indian people but what he fails to understand is the increasing Indian thirst for Pakistani blood over this — and that is where the understanding ends and hostility begins.
No one here is denying that there maybe some scoundrels involved who could have links to Pakistan — though not its government — but India’s refusal to even consider an internal connection seems illogical at best. One only has to look at the Samjhota express blast, which was also blamed on Pakistan, and now everyone knows that an Indian army officer is being investigated for involvement. Also, Narendra Modi has publicly refused to help slain Indian police officer Hemant Karkare’s widow. Could the answer to this lie in the fact that the head of Mumbai’s Anti-Terror Squad was investigating the Sangh Parivar’s involvement in recent bombings in India and had in fact arrested a serving lieutenant-colonel of the Indian army?
These are just a few questions that must be raised before jumping to any conclusions. India needs to recognise its own internal issues as well. To Indians I would say, yes, we are seeing and feeling your anger. And you can use this anger to finally tear down the Berlin Wall between us or you can use this to raise it further — the choice is yours because while everyone here in Pakistan wants peace and prosperity no one here is willing to surrender to the uncalled for belligerence coming from your side.
Muhammad Asif
Lahore
(2)
This is with reference to a series of articles on the Mumbai attacks published in your newspaper (Nov 29, 30 and Dec 1) by Aakar Patel. I am a blind professional working in the area of transparency and right to information and all I can say that Mr Patel is a wise man. I had the privilege of visiting Delhi and Bangalore and it was a great experience. I want to let him know that my heart bleeds when I think of the victims and that I have no words to express my feelings.
I want to say so many things, but I won’t as I might end up belittling the feelings of those whose friends and relatives were killed and wounded. I also want Mr Patel to know that if he ever comes to Islamabad he is welcome to have a cup of tea with me.
Zahid Abdullah
Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives
Islamabad
(3)
No sane human can condone the carnage and loss of innocent lives in Mumbai. Personally and on behalf of my fellow Pakistanis, I would like offer my sympathies and condolence to everyone affected by this tragedy. As for the attackers, blaming Pakistan seems unfair. To hide their incompetence and ineptitude in preventing such barbaric acts, intelligence agencies are often remarkably efficient in locating and producing evidence of outside involvement.
For instance, according to Indian media reports, the one attacker who has been captured says that the planning went on for months. Does this not suggest involvement by locals? Also, after every blast, Pakistan is blamed but recent investigations by the Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad uncovered a link between Hindu extremists and many previous attacks. Also, the owner of the Taj Hotel is reported as having being surprised by the intimate knowledge the attackers are said to have had of his hotel. Also, it boggles the mind that 10-12 armed men were able to strike in so many location and keep Indian police and army commandos at bay for close to sixty hours.
I would request the Indian prime minister, who is otherwise a sober and sensible man, to understand fully the consequences of his claims on India’s large Muslim minority and also on India’s neighbours.
Q Kazmi
UAE
(4)
Even a child can see the absurdity in the story being presented by the Indian media and their government on how the attackers came to Mumbai. How can so many armed men disembark from a boat and also get arms from a ship and then leave for such prominent locations in one of the world’s most populated cities?
Before accusing Pakistan of not doing enough, India needs to look inside its own territory. What about the unrest in its northeast and the activities of the Sangh Parivar, especially in Gujarat and Maharashtra where it is openly running training centres for its militants.
S Noorul Hasan
Lahore
(5)
My sincere condolences to the families who lost their lives in Mumbai. The attacks were nothing more than a brazen act of terrorism which deserves the highest condemnation. However, I am dismayed by the stance taken by the Indian government and its media. While this operation was still on and nobody actually knew who the culprits could be, the Indian establishment began pointing fingers at Pakistan. This tore to shreds whatever confidence-building measures that both countries have taken in recent times.
No doubt this incident has wounded the Indian pride and their anger is justified. But the working of international relations is not based on emotions. The Indians should have pondered over for a moment and deliberated for some time before pointing fingers. It is important to understand that India is a world in itself and has several groups of people with grievances against the state. And this includes its largest minority, the Muslims.
India must also understand that it is not America and that its progress is unevenly spread and confined mostly to the cities. As for Pakistan, it is facing the monster of extremism itself for which it is paying a heavy price — and certainly it is not in any position to open another front on its eastern border. Of course, there will be people who may link what happened in Mumbai to US President-elect Barack Obama’s recent statement that he would like to see Pakistan and India resolve their dispute over Kashmir — so those behind the Mumbai attacks may well want to see this dashed.
The menace of terrorism is real. Both countries should work together to eradicate and instead of indulging in a blame game which only benefits warmongers. Also, the media on both sides needs to help identify the enemy within.
Bahadar Ali Khan
Markham, ON, Canada
(6)
Now that India has accused Pakistan so blatantly of the Mumbai attacks, will Islamabad also make public the evidence it has of Indian involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan?
Sheraz Khan
Mardan
(7)
I am of the opinion that the people of India and Pakistan have no differences — rather, the differences and conflict are created by the governments and those in power who have their own vested interests so that the two countries remain hostile.
Hira Manzar
Karachi
(8)
It is heartening to hear voices from among the country’s intelligentsia bringing home the fact that those we are fighting at the behest of our western masters would be the first to fight alongside our armed forces in the face of aggression by any external force. The statement issued by the TTP spokesman Maulvi Faqir Mohammad validates this point. I think the Mumbai crisis should compel the government to start differentiating between real and perceived enemies of the state and find its own voice instead of parroting the jargon put into its mouth by the foreign powers.
Naila Ahmed
Islamabad
(9)
The recent attacks by the so-called Deccan Mujahideen in Mumbai show that the Indian intelligence agencies failed badly. Less than a dozen armed men kept toying with their system for three days, keeping hostage one of the largest cities in the world. Of course the attacks were most unfortunate and the loss of life highly condemnable, but the Indian establishment must be feeling humiliated — and is now looking for a scapegoat.
Taimoor Farid Khan
Islamabad
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