The world has not yet even identified the root cause of South Asian terrorism. During the last eight years, this scribe has strained the patience of readers with scores of articles pinpointing the problem to be addressed for ending terrorism. The thrust of those articles bears reiteration.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), aspiring to make that country the world’s biggest power, has covertly aided insurgencies and terrorism. The PLA penetrated the Pakistan army to make it a tool for its South Asian agenda. Pakistan’s civilian government does not acknowledge its inability to control its own army. More significantly, the Chinese government itself does not seem to exercise effective control over the PLA. That is why decisions by governments are often subverted by acts of their respective armies.
This scribe had repeatedly asserted that the PLA was aiding the Taliban and Al Qaeda as well as insurgent groups in India’s Northeast to further its own ends. This view was ridiculed by many readers although impeccable sources, such as official research papers prepared for the US Congress, were quoted.
Now Britain’s most authoritative journal on defence and security, Jane’s Intelligence Review, has belatedly acknowledged these facts in its May 2008 issue. It has provided details of China’s selling arms to Northeast insurgents in India, and also to the Taliban.
The governments of Pakistan and India must first recognise this source of terrorist strength in South Asia. Then they must confront the Chinese government with the truth. Denied the PLA’s help, terrorism might be containable. It is possible that President Hu Jintao will cooperate. When China can legitimately become the world’s major power, would it not be counterproductive for it to persist with the negative PLA mindset? If the Chinese government cannot or will not deliver, India and Pakistan must rely on themselves. But any successful endeavour to combat terrorism would be a pipedream unless Islamabad and New Delhi, as Qureshi declared, acted together.
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)
