15 Oct 2008, 0110 hrs IST, Sachin Parashar,TNN
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NEW DELHI: Could Pakistan fall to a Taliban-al-Qaida coup? Is India looking at the possibility of a Talibanized neighbour to its west, one with access to nuclear weapons? If Pakistan's senior minister for information Sherry Rahman is to be believed, Pakistan is in the midst of a serious internal security threat from a collection of Taliban, al-Qaida and J&K terrorist elements who want to take over the country.
Indian security sources said they have been receiving reports of a steady infiltration of Taliban and al-Qaida elements in Pakistan's biggest cities of Lahore and Karachi recently. In fact, in a recent incident which rang alarm bells, there were a number of Taliban posters in Karachi and Taliban spokespersons were quoted promising a better government in Sindh.
Rahman's statements were made during an in-camera briefing on national security and the war on terror in Pakistan's national assembly on Tuesday.
Rahman went on to state that the Taliban, who are trying to oust the Pakistan government, also had links with their Afghan counterparts and groups operating in J&K. While the fear of Taliban influence in Pakistan has increased in recent years, the latest assertions by a senior Pakistan minister linking the Taliban with J&K terror groups are a cause for concern in India.
India has been concerned about Taliban making inroads into urban areas and cities of Pakistan which are located close to the border. Only two days ago, MQM leader Altaf Hussain made a statement that more than 400,000 Taliban men had infiltrated Karachi. The Pakistani media recently carried reports about Taliban warning traders in Lahore not to sell "immoral" stuff.
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I read http://blog.akhandbharti.com/2008/10/taliban-qaida-trying-to-take-over.html, and I also read http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Obama_win_Bad_news_for_Pakistan/articleshow/3679186.cms#write, both by Sachin Parashar TNN.
This is what crossed my mind on reading the Times of India article: Terrorism has hit India harder than it hit USA. After 9/11 there have been no attacks on U.S. soil, but India has been completely at the mercy of terrorist blasts most recently in Assam with responsibility taken by "Indian Mujahideen". There were six coordinated blasts in Delhi, but can Delhi Police prevent a volley of six hundred simultaneous blasts? The Indian parliament itself has been attacked and last week when I was in India the "breaking news" was that an email had threatened the life of the Indian President and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. How far will terrorism have to go before India realizes this has been and is becoming a bigger problem for India than it has been for any other country? Also, the term "global" terrorism is a widespread misunderstanding because the ideologic and financial terror capital of the world is located in North Pakistan. The question is, if Obama will not attack an "ally" (Pakistan) to clean up this region- given that Pakistan leaders appear powerless and at risk of assasination if they try to do it themselves-does the Indian Army have the might to do the job? The balance is between the financial burden of a war on a developing country like India and the isolated blasts in India which as yet have not galvanized too much concern in the Indian public.
Wonder what Mr. Parashar would say about this.
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