Foreign experts see India’s reasoning behind attacks.
NEW YORK: In a major diplomatic victory for India, the United States on Thursday didn’t refer to the stealth attacks in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK), termed as surgical strikes by India. It chose to support India on the issue of cross-border terrorism, and reprimanded Pakistan for not doing enough to curb terrorism emanating from its soil.
The US State Department in a statement on Thursday mentioned the attack on Uri, Kashmir, on September 18th, which claimed the lives of 18 Indian soldiers.
”We understand that the Indian and Pakistani militaries have been in communication, and we believe continued communication is important to reduce tensions,” the State Department said, adding that Washington has ”repeatedly expressed our concerns regarding the danger that cross border terrorism poses to the region, including the recent attack in Uri.”
On Wednesday, the White House had released a statement calling on Pakistan to “take effective action to combat and delegitimize United Nations-designated terrorist individuals and entities,” in reference to Jaish-e-Muhammad, a Pakistan-based Islamist group which India has pinpointed as the mastermind behind the Uri attack.
The United Nations too released a statement, saying it was “following this situation with great concern.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday: “The UN Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan, UNMOGIP, is aware of the ceasefire violations and right now is liaising with the concerned authorities to obtain further information.”
He added: “The United Nations calls on the Governments of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and encourages them to continue their effort to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue.”
Foreign policy experts and commentators were mostly cold on Pakistan’s claim of aggression by India, and seemed to sympathize with India’s perspective on suffering for long from terrorism emanating from across the border, and the resultant retaliatory strike, which Pakistan denies even took place.
Myra MacDonald, the author of ‘Defeat is an Orphan: How Pakistan Lost the Great South Asian War’, told The New York Times: “If it does turn out to be a one-off (surgical strike), yes, they could have set a new norm in terms of how they respond to attacks. Nobody is really going rally to support Pakistan on this.”
Despite both sides’ fierce rhetoric, it was unlikely there would be a military escalation at this point, IHS Global Insight analyst Asad Ali told CNN.
“What I would say is that the Pakistani generals are very much ready to use nuclear weapons, at least three strategic nukes, if there is a major border incursion (from India),” Ali said, adding that both the governments were playing to their domestic audiences, as much as each other.
“The Pakistan military can’t betray to their domestic audience that they’ve allowed the Indians to actually cross the line of control… and there was no action against that,” he said. “On the Indian side, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi needs to show his domestic constituents that he’s taken aggressive action. This is something he promised before he got elected in 2014.”
BBC reported that the attack by India had resonated well with the public in India, declaring that #ModiPunishesPak was trending top of Twitter in India, hours after the media first reported it. The other top trending hashtags included #SurgicalStrike and #Indian Army. A Narendra Modi fan club account tweeted a clip from a Tom and Jerry cartoon film to show India spanking Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Allah Nazar Baloch, head of the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), the elusive leader of a major armed group fighting for independence in Pakistan’s Balochistan, has said he would welcome help from India in their struggle for independence.
In his first video interview in five years, Baloch also pledged further attacks on a Chinese economic corridor, parts of which run through the resource-rich province. The planned $46 billion trade route is expected to link western China with Pakistan’s Arabian Sea via a network of roads, railways and energy pipelines.
“We not only wish India should support the Baloch national struggle diplomatically and financially, but the whole world,” said Baloch, a doctor turned guerrilla believed to be about 50, in filmed responses to questions sent by Reuters.
Brahamdagh Bugti, the Switzerland-based leader of the Balochistan Republican Party, another major separatist outfit, last week told Indian media that he planned to seek “political asylum” in India.
4 Comments
What could have Pak Army’s interest in orchestrating #UriAttack just before United Nations General Assembly when the Army including the Political forces in Pakistan were readying their selves to present a case against India in the UNGA? I am certain that they could not have afford #UriAttack at this sensitive time.
What could have Pak Army’s interest in orchestrating #UriAttack just before United Nations General Assembly when the Army including the Political forces in Pakistan were readying their selves to present a case against India in the UNGA? I am certain that they could not have afford #UriAttack at this sensitive time.
India’s surgical strike reminds me US surgical strike – when US killed one of the world’s most wanted terrorist leader in Pakistan – Osama Bin Laden
Where is the support from US, and why would they support our fight.
US just don’t care about India and Pakistan until there Russia and China come in picture, and than they all will pick their side to destroy both of us. Look at whole middle east Syria Afghanistan and Iraq. They are just bombing ground for Russia and US killing 1000s of poor citizens. Pakistan will try its best to bring Russia and china in this dispute.