You see, herein lies the basic contradiction between our two positions.
We actually think it's guys like Hafeez Saeed who fuel hate both by their hateful propaganda and by their murderous actions. You, on the other hand seem to have a problem if he is stopped from doing so. You clean up your stables and you would not to have to hear from anyone about doing it for you.
BTW Chidambaram is one of the most intelligent, erudite politician as you are ever likely to find. He is not prone to exaggeration and if he says something, you can be pretty sure it's not the usual empty bluster of politicians. It should be taken very seriously. Not doing so might turn out to be a big mistake.
So is he the first of the Indian politicians to make such remarks? Or is he the first intelligent Indian to make such remarks?
Secondly, what is the linkage between Kassab in your custody with Hafiz Saeed? What is the actual proof that HSaeed is behind these attacks? Would it stand in a court of law? Nothing that I have read, heard or seen on the TV leaves me with a feeling that there is any such proof that links Saeed to Ajmal.
While I am not against punishing the murderers of innocent Indians in Mumbai, I do have a problem when linkages are made with all of the past actors by the Indian side so in one fell-swoop, they can get Pakistan to deliver all the people that India has a problem with, proof or no proof does not matter thus the free flowing lists with 20+ people on them.
I hope that there are no further attacks on civilians on either side. However what does a threat to Pakistan achieve? What is it that your air strikes are going to achieve? If the purpose is to raise the cost for Pakistan, which implies that Pakistani government is behind these attacks - a claim which has been denied and the denial supported even by the US, then will the cost raised only apply to one-side? Probably not.
Lastly, what benefit does any of these attacks in India bring to Pakistan? Nothing!!!! It causes nothing but problems for Pakistan, as such it makes no sense for the Pakistani state and the security apparatus to support these folks.
Can they launch such attacks on their own?, yes they can...they are doing it all over Pakistan and this is despite a clamp-down. What happens in Lahore is not always the handiwork of TTP from up North. We have a militancy problem and by threatening Pakistan with attack, the calls actually backfire because these militants are all for more conflict. If Hafeez Saeed is connected then he is undermining Pakistan's interests which are concerning Kashmir only and not about undermining India's cities and inflicting harm on innocent Indians. If Hafeez Saeed is found to be doing this, he can easily be taken out of circulation, but how would the Pakistani SC respond to indefinite detention without any actual proof? The reason he got off last time was because Pakistan was never furnished with any incriminating evidence.
India will always have the choice to decide whether its time to do something militarily or not. My own take is that if something like Mumbai happens, there will surely be military action, however as I have often said, the response will also be fairly severe. Maybe India is also ready to absorb it..I don't know the answer, but it would do well for both sides to tone down the rhetoric and focus on fixing things in house...Pakistan can continue with the clampdown on the extremist elements, India should move to start an honest dialogue about the future of Kashmir.
