President Obama obviously chose the central hall of the Indian Parliament to deliver his message to Pakistan, and the message was crystal clear: the US does not intend to withdraw from Afghanistan next July as is expected by the Pakistani army and establishment. Obama asserted: "We are making progress in our mission to break the Taliban's momentum and to
train Afghan forces so they can take the lead for their security. And while I have made it clear that American forces will begin the transition to Afghan responsibility next summer, I have also made it clear that America's commitment to the Afghan people will endure.
The United States will not abandon the people of Afghanistan or the region to the violent extremists who threaten us all. Our strategy to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al-Qaeda and its affiliates has to succeed on both sides of the border. That is why we have worked with the Pakistani government to address the threat of terrorist networks in the border region. The Pakistani government increasingly recognises that these networks are not just a threat outside of Pakistan � they are a threat to the Pakistani people, who have suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists."
He has also indicated to the Pakistanis and those who empathise with them and support them in the US military establishment, that
he did not buy the propaganda that they needed jihadi outfits as strategic assets against future Indian influence in Afghanistan. The joint statement issued by the Indian prime minister and the US president makes it clear that the two sides have resolved to pursue joint development projects with the Afghan government in capacity-building, agriculture and women's empowerment.
Pakistan and its supporters in the US military establishment are being told that the Indian presence in Afghanistan will continue and increase.
His message to Pakistan on terrorism was equally blunt. He reiterated: "We will continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that terrorist safe havens within their borders are unacceptable, and that the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks be brought to justice. We must also recognise that all of us have an interest in both an Afghanistan and a Pakistan that is stable, prosperous and democratic - and none more so than India."
This was further elaborated in the joint statement which stated: "Condemning terrorism in all its forms, the two sides agreed that all terrorist networks, including Lashkar-e-Toiba, must be defeated and called for Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Building upon the Counter-Terrorism Initiative signed in July 2010, the two leaders announced a new Homeland Security Dialogue between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security and agreed to further deepen operational cooperation, counter-terrorism technology transfers and capacity building. The two leaders also emphasised the importance of close cooperation in combating terrorist financing and in protecting the international financial system." Presumably,
the Pakistani army is already aware that terrorist activity directed from Pakistan against India after 26/11 will be under the watch of both Indian and US intelligence capabilities cooperating with each other. Apart from the increased capabilities of Indian intelligence, this cooperation may be yet another reason why there has been no successful terrorist attempt on India after the Pune bakery outrage.
On Kashmir, Obama endorsed Manmohan Singh's approach of a dialogue and peace process between the two countries, which should progress from more easily solvable issues building up confidence to addressing the most difficult problem - the 63-year-old Kashmir issue. There was also a subtle message to Pakistan in his assertion that India is not a rising power but one that has already arrived.
One of the long-cherished myths in Pakistan, going back to Zulfikar Bhutto's time, is their fervent belief that Pakistan can hold India's rise hostage to New Delhi settling Kashmir on their terms. Obama was telling them to give up such ideas. When Obama refers to Pakistan being a state that was strategically important to the world, that was a veiled reference to its being a nuclear-weapon power that has to be handled appropriately.
Telling it like it is to Pakistan - Yahoo! India News
