|
ISI behind engineer murder in afghanistan { May 15 2006 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1029478&catid=19http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1029478&catid=19
Blood on the ISI’s hands
Monday, May 15, 2006 21:50 IST
Foreign secretary Shyam Saran was not off the mark when he alluded to a Pakistani hand behind the murder of Indian engineer Suryanarayana in Afghanistan. The Taliban, which had been blamed for the killing, has now come out with the admission that Pakistani secret service, the ISI, masterminded the killing. Expectedly, the ISI has denied this charge, but it is well-known that the Pakistani military and intelligence establishment has been less than pleased over India’s growing relationship with Afghanistan. Pakistan has often alleged that India’s consulates in Jalalabad, Herat, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, all in Afghan territory, are being used by New Delhi to foment unrest in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
New Delhi has been pro-active in Afghanistan ever since Hamid Karzai took over. The Karzai government in Kabul has made no secret of its close ties with India, which has undertaken various infrastructure projects and schools and healthcare centers across the country. All this, not surprisingly, has given India a strategic advantage over Pakistan in the region.
Pakistan, has always looked at Afghanistan as territory which will give it the much-needed “strategic depth”. During the Taliban rule, Pakistan was a major player in Afghanistan. After the war on Afghanistan, that is no longer the case. This could provide some clues why Pakistan would want nearly 3,000 Indian workers out of the country. More than strategic reasons, which are important, India’s presence in Afghanistan is to promote democratic institutions that the war-torn country so badly needs. This is something that Pakistan, no matter how hard it tries, is not in a position to offer Afghanistan.
Not surprisingly, relations between the two neighbours have reached a new low. President Musharraf has off-handedly dismissed Karzai’s repeated claims of Pakistani intelligence operations in Afghan territory. The Taliban’s new claim should give some more ammunition to the Karzai government on this issue and it has already asked for an explanation from Pakistan.
As far as India is concerned, it needs to take this latest Taliban statement very seriously. The Indian government has already made it clear that it will do everything in its power to bring Suryanarayana’s killers to justice. Raising the issue diplomatically with Pakistan would be a good place to start.
|
|
