December 1, 2008
The Mumbai Tragedy: Beware of Innuendo Concerning Pakistan (Lanny Davis)
There is enough that is horrible and tragic about the terrorist attacks and killings of innocent people in Mumbai (the Indian city long known in the West as Bombay) in the last several days without some careless media reporting and premature accusations by Indian officials suggesting Pakistani government responsibility making matters worse.
Full disclosure: I represented Pakistan in the 1990s, have visited the country several times, and made many close Pakistani friends during the time I helped Pakistan recover hundreds of millions of dollars the U.S. government owed it.
It is not clear whether the government of India has actually made charges that the government of Pakistan was involved in the attacks or simply remained silent while certain of its officials anonymously suggested such involvement, broadcast through speculative media reporting rather than waiting for the facts to emerge.
For example, Saturday’s New York Times quoted unnamed U.S. intelligence officials that early “evidence” indicated that Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group based in Pakistani Kashmir, “might” have been involved in the terrorist attacks. (Kashmir remains divided between Pakistani- and Indian-controlled territories, and Islamabad in years past has reportedly allowed militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba to operate against Indian forces from their base in Pakistani Kashmir.)
The Times paraphrased the Indian foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, as stating that “early evidence explicitly pointed to Pakistan’s involvement.” Note the words “explicitly” and “Pakistan’s involvement.” But the actual quote from the foreign minister is a bit more ambiguous. He is quoted as actually saying, “Preliminary evidence, prima facie evidence, indicates elements with links to Pakistan are involved.”
“Elements” with “links” to “Pakistan”? That is pure innuendo. That certainly implies the government of Pakistan was involved, but it could also mean, simply, that some of the murderous terrorists happened to be Pakistani.
Exacerbating the innuendo suggesting Pakistani government involvement are references to the secretive Pakistan intelligence agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI. It has often been reported that in years past the ISI has supported, directly or indirectly, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant groups in Pakistani Kashmir supporting the reuniting of Kashmir as part of Pakistan. It has also been frequently reported that the ISI supported the Taliban during the pre-Sept. 11 years when the Taliban controlled the Afghan government and served as a base for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. But that does not mean the ISI, especially under the new democratically elected government of President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, had anything to do with Mumbai.
Nevertheless, the Indian government at the highest level needs to control casual remarks by senior officials suggesting a connection between the Mumbai horror and the government and people of Pakistan. The times are too dangerous to get out in front of the facts, especially between two nuclear powers. Perhaps just as important, it simply isn’t fair.
Buried in the weekend’s press reports are statements from the same anonymous U.S. intelligence “officials” briefing the New York Times reporters about the possible involvement of a group of Pakistani Kashmir-based militants that there was “no evidence that the Pakistani government had any role in the attacks.” But that sentence either was downplayed or omitted from most other media reporting.
Zardari wasted no time, immediately issuing public statements decrying the terrorist attacks and offering full cooperation to find out who was behind them.
On Friday, as the attacks were unfolding and there were already published reports of Pakistan's involvement spreading around the world on the Internet, Zardari stated, “Non-state actors wanted to force upon the governments their own agenda, but they must not be allowed to succeed.”
During a four-day visit to India, which happened to fall during the terrorist attacks, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reacted to the innuendo apparently coming from Indian politicians and officials by saying to the Indian government, “Do not bring politics into this issue. This is a collective issue. We are facing a common enemy, and we should join hands and defeat the enemy.”
The Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, a former professor from Boston University and an old personal acquaintance, endorsed “confronting the menace of terrorism with great vigor.” He also made the obvious point (but not so obvious from reading most media reports) that it is “unfair to blame Pakistan [for] terrorism even before an investigation is undertaken.”
To demonstrate its bona fides, Pakistan took the unusual — indeed, from a historical standpoint, breathtakingly unprecedented — position of offering to send a representative of the ISI to India to help with the investigation. If such a suggestion had been made as recently as last year, the person suggesting it would have been seen as taking leave of his senses.
India and Pakistan are two truly great countries with which America must maintain close relations in the war against terror, to deal with the global economic crisis, in trade, and most important, to work together to avoid violence and even a nuclear confrontation over Kashmir, giving a new President Barack Obama a chance to facilitate a final, peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute as one of his highest foreign-policy priorities.
There are no easy answers. India and Pakistan cannot, as Zardari stated, allow murderous non-state terrorists to get in the way of peaceful solutions and cooperation between these two great nuclear powers on the subcontinent.
The facts will come out about who is behind this terrorism. All, including the media, need to be patient and wait for that to happen, rather than whisper — and publish — inflammatory and unsubstantiated innuendo.
This article first appeared in The Washington Times on Dec. 1, 2008.
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The international community must not allow India to feel this is India's tragedy alone. This is everyone's tragedy, just like 9/11. The more international involvement there is, the less likely it will be that India seeks to blame and/or punish the Pakistani government for these terrorist attacks. There's a far greater likelihood that Taliban elements were behind it, since they have much to gain from rekindling animosities between the two countries. If the international community fails to act, this will be a huge step backwards in the war on terror.
Comment by Melissa — December 1, 2008 @ 10:22 am
What can I say for this article. Please read the latest that has been published by the investigating authorities, it clearly points to the Pakistani elements in their military and intelligensia orchestrating the attack. The person who has been captured, Indian, and western intelligence has substantiated it.
Pakistan has proved itself to be a rogue nation for 20 years, it's just that the West has woken up to it. They created Taliban, nurtured it, created the terrorist elements to work against India. This is just another example of it.
Comment by Prkash — December 1, 2008 @ 11:13 am
You won't find much love lost between the politicians on both the sides as these countries have fought three wars between them. But for a change the people at large on both the sides do not care much about these statements even when they care very much about knowing the truth. People on both sides will like the perpetrators to be punished. The politicians failed to gauge this change in sentiments and faced with the wrath of people for diverting the attention by such claims have started moderating it while heads have rolled on indian side. The fledging democratic establishment in pakistan has failed to back its intention to send the ISI Director being unable to withstand the pressure of the powerful military. But please note that this is vastly different and moderate to what was happening in such cases earlier. This gives hope to sensible people on both sides who are patriots but don't believe in jingoism. Yes, America should see to it that it is properly investigated and the killers should be brought to books where ever they are. This will give them enough foothold for bringing both warring sides on the same platform. It should see the opportunity in spite of the tragedy.
Comment by sambit — December 1, 2008 @ 11:39 am
For decades, Pakistan created and supported terrorist groups to fight its proxy battles against India. This is a fact — accepted as such even by Pakistan. Pakistan and the US created terrorist groups to fight the Ruskies in Afghanistan. This too is a fact — accepted as such by Pakistan and the US. These terrorists are attacking India and have been attacking India for years. So, who is responsible?
Btw, regarding evidence, I would bet that India can and will produce more evidence of the complicity of terrorist groups supported by Pakistan in these these attacks. More "evidence" than the US provided of Iraq's support of the 9/11 attacks on which basis your beloved Hillary Clinton voted for the Iraq war and on which basis the US attacked Iraq.
I realize you have to peddle nonsense to earn a living, but stick to US politics. You clearly don't have a clue about terrorism or about the fate suffered by the hundreds of innocent victims in India. Perhaps you should visit India and see for yourself, even if you are a lobbyist for Pakistan.
Comment by bob — December 1, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
I was compelled to check your blog, after reading your article wich was reproduced by a Extremist Pakistani blog - http://pakalert.wordpress.com Your being a advisor to Clinton Administration, I am sure, would have allowed you to be exposed to bare truths of the world. Opinions however, are not truths. As an attorney you, I trust, is the best person to appreciate the same. Also as an attorney, you will appreciate that truths has been/ can be manufactured to be sold. Hence, I would like to believe, you amongst us all, the most competent to detect a manufactured truth.
As a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-racial nation, multi-religious society, India had had a long history of insurgency along those same lines. Neither the same is hidden from Indian citizens nor the world and most are well documented.
Also, are well documented the involvement of Pakistani group’s terror attacks on India. Many such details, especially, Audio Visual records, from mainstream Pakistani media showing the leaders of these terrorist groups, freely and openly roaming around in Pakistan. Your country’s intelligence has collaborated many such India’s claims over the years.
Post 9/11, American perception changed. You recognized Jihadi Terrorism, which India had to content with for fore than 25 years. As a pluralistic, Democratic, Civil Society, we have tried to protect our citizen and counter this threat in the last 25 years, without bombing any country to stone-age.
Like they say, if something taste like beer, seems like beer, feels like beer, chances are that it is beer. And for a beer drinker for over 25 years, it does not take long to figure it out. Sure some jumping of the gun has been done by some officials while commenting in the Indian Media. But as you have correctly pointed it out in your article, the Indian Government statements have till now, not indicted the Government of Pakistan.
Indian people and its’ government recognizes the existence of multiple actors and power centers in Pakistan. It also recognizes the existence of a civil society, which is in majority. We do not want that people of Pakistan should suffer. But, we can not allow our citizen and our guests to be butchered like animals, because, some people has a dream of creating an utopian, emir-dom, funded by petro-dollars.
As an Indian I would like to believe and want to believe that the Civilian Government had nothing to do with this most barbaric attack, and the Pakistani government was caught with their pant down, by some rogue elements or non state actors. But as a sovereign, it has duty to enforce it’s authority within it’s borders and to prevent it’s territories to be used as bases to spread terror.
We hope that Pakistan, this time will not let the world community down and enforce the rule of law within it’s borders and India do not has to act beyond it boarders to protect it’s citizen.
But, worrying are these developments
1. President Zardari’s promise of DG of ISI ( head of ISI ) visit, did a about turn, the morning after.
2. Outright negating the possibilities of Pakistani involvement
Comment by BK — December 3, 2008 @ 5:03 am
Lanny Davis, the #1 Clinton lap dog. He is a disgrace. In the introductory paragraph he proudly states that he was personally responsible for recovering millions and millions of dollars that America owed them. What bile. He is raping us to pay off some despots who rip off all the money we have poured, and continue to pour into this Muslin nation. 'davis' is a disgrace and I wish he would just go away. He vilified The Chosen as a charlaton during the primaries because he was carry the "water" for his mistress, but now The One is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Please get rid of this a******.
Comment by HolyBlitzer — December 3, 2008 @ 6:26 am
Lanny has proven he always goes which way the wind blows!
He,s just looking for work in Obama,s Admin.
Comment by Teerry Gee — December 3, 2008 @ 11:04 am
For decades, Pakistan created and supported terrorist groups to fight its proxy battles against India. This is a fact — accepted as such even by Pakistan. Pakistan and the US created terrorist groups to fight the Ruskies in Afghanistan. This too is a fact — accepted as such by Pakistan and the US. These terrorists are attacking India and have been attacking India for years. So, who is responsible?
Btw, regarding evidence, I would bet that India can and will produce more evidence of the complicity of terrorist groups supported by Pakistan in these these attacks. More "evidence" than the US provided of Iraq's support of the 9/11 attacks on which basis your beloved Hillary Clinton voted for the Iraq war and on which basis the US attacked Iraq.
I realize you have to peddle nonsense to earn a living, but stick to US politics. You clearly don't have a clue about terrorism or about the fate suffered by the hundreds of innocent victims in India. Perhaps you should visit India and see for yourself, even if you are a lobbyist for Pakistan.
Comment by R K MOHANTY — December 22, 2008 @ 1:17 am