US spent 10 odd years in the area, going in and out of Pakistan enroute to Afghanistan, looking for the guy in caves, nooks and crannies to find him happily ensconced in a mid sized city, close to a garrison, with their "partners" in War against Terror either complicit or incompetent ( either way, what a partner to have chosen), the same partners they are giving away fighter planes to, while being upset that they could not sell us any.
These are the guys that many i know what India to emulate. Really?? that's the standard you want set?
There are several comparisons people draw that i think are unfair and i pray to god, India does not adopt.
1. Will India every get Dawood EKIA in a similar fashion?
2. Why have we still not executed Ajmal Kasab/Afzal Guru/.....
3. Why don't we go and bomb camps in POK?
4. why don't we.......fill in your own blanks
Such short sighted and poor witted tactics is what India uses in managing its economy. Knee jerk reactions with little impact. Do we really want that in our Defence?
a) US is a bully in a bully's clothes. From assassination of leaders of countries they want to control to carrying out "Economic Hits through Hitmen" to supplying arms to afghans and equivalents in Iraq, all US does is try and get its own way.
So instead of acknowledging what India has been saying all the while they preferred to trust Pakistan until Obama needed to divert attention from his origins and secure his re-election. Much like Bush did after 9/11.
Until 9/11, US thought it was invincible and only then understood bullying has repercussions. It has never been able to secure its borders and its only their luck that Mexico is not exporting terror.
So now that everybody knows a 9/11 could be arranged, I am sure there is a bunch planning a retaliation, which can probably prevented only by luck, (given the nature of terrorist acts).
b) The US could carry out surgical attacks mainly in places that they poke their noses into, get familiar with the landscape and then use their Navy Seals or CIA or what ever. India rarely does the same level of intervention. We have enough of our own problems. I would not vote for spending $ 1 trillion to get "one" guy. The repercussions of such expenditure is there for all to see. Ask those who were dispossessed of their houses a few years ago.
after having given Pakistan 21 billion dollars, it knows pakistan will hardly retaliate as a nation even if its ego had suffered a major blow. That is hardly the case with India and Pakistan. Pakistan will gladly use the excuse of an Indian incursion to vent some steam.
c) The respect for "Due Process" is not something you want to see go away. Trust me. You don't want vigilante justice, not here not anywhere. Hanging someone is a final act. It does not help in anything except boost some egos. It has not even be capable of being a preventive. Not in rape, or murder and least of all for a fanatic. So why bray for blood all the time? The US may have used the Osama killing to send a message to Pakistan on its perfidy, but even they seem to have waited 5-6 years before doing eliminating it. Yet within 3 years of catching a small fry like Kasab, people feel their self respect is hurt. Isn't it funny that it was okay to hang Indira Gandhi's killers in 5 years, Rajiv Gandhi's in 8 years and General Vaidya's killers in 6 years but this guy, we must do it now.
d) That this country does not have a policy on how to handle hostage situations and buckled under a couple of times is of concern and that is what needs to be fixed, not the due process. US has a policy of "no negotiations" in such situations. How come we don't want to emulate that? At the first smell of a civilian hostage, we press the government to buckle. It happened in the Rubaiyya Mufti Kidnapping and then in the IC-814 hijack. Civil Society did not protest against the release of the prisoners. They don't like to sacrifice for the nation.
In more ways than one, i am proud of how India handles things.
Unlike a Palestine-Israel, India created a Bangladesh that has not led to daily animosity and blood shed. We treat pakistan as a recalcitrant younger sibling that actually irritates them more than anything.
Inspite of all the PR disasters on J&K, when Saif Gaddhafi apparently got a survey done, in J&K, over 98% of those on Indian side said they did not want to join Pakistan and over 50% in the Pak Side said they did not want to join Pakistan :)
Nepalese and Bangladeshis see India as a saviour and illegally enter the country to work here.
Sri Lanka also has a decent relationship despite all the IPKF /Tamil tigers disasters.
As a daughter of an Air Force Officer, i can tell you that i know of at least one instance (albeit quite a while ago) where India carried out a covert action against Pakistan, and got away with it. Obviously details were not shared with me, but i knew there was something up, asked what was happening, some broad details were given and i know we got away with it.That my friends is how covert activities should be done.
Our lack of strong willed leaders with a vision is our problem. Knee jerk reactions is all they know. That is what we need to solve. Not the structure of the country.
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