David Coleman Headley’s testimony in the Chicago court should be music to India’s ears. It stands vindicated on the issue of ISI’s role in terror attacks in the country. Pakistan stands exposed again. Earlier, it dismissed India’s repeated complaints and evidence as works of fiction.
Here’s a recap of the important revelations made by Headley.
• These groups (the terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat-ud-Dawa) operate under the umbrella of the ISI.
• They coordinate with each other and the ISI provides both financial and military assistance to the Lashkar.
• Headley himself had been receiving weapons and leadership training from the LeT since 2000.
• Major Iqbal and Major ‘SM’, both serving officers, were part of the Mumbai attack conspiracy.
Cafe Leopold at Colaba Causeway, Mumbai, one of the 26/11 terror targets. AFP Photo
India has been making the same points for sometime. Now, the international community will take serious note. Coming after the Osama episode, the revelations are more egg on Pakistan’s face. However, little is expected to change on the ground, particularly in Islamabad’s approach to India.
Reacting to Headley’s testimony, the Congress on Tuesday said it has cast a “heavy responsibility’’ on Pakistan to provide answers about involvement of state players in the terror attack.
“Undoubtedly, the events played out in Pakistan in the past couple of weeks and revelations from the Chicago trial do cast heavy responsibility on Pakistan to provide answer not only to India but the world community about involvement of state instrumentalities,” Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told IANS.
Tewari said with more revelations emerging, Pakistan should not obfuscate issues. “It will be far more appropriate if Pakistan provides answers,’’ he told IANS.
However, none is expected at the moment. Pakistan is likely to brazen it out and turn more aggressive towards India, at least in its posturing. That was the approach immediately after Osama’s killing by US Seals in Abbottabad. The state players would remain under wraps and a few scapegoats may be found and sacrificed. Major Iqbal is a serving officer. It implicates the Pakistani army directly. It’s not possible for the civilian government to take on the army. So it will resort to the dodging tactic and find solace in the arguments put forth to defend Tahawwur Rana.
The defence has already begun; the Pak envoy today told the UK that Islamabad is not responsible for the acts of former army officers and Pakistan is not a terrorist haven.
In India, any chest thumping is unnecessary. A moral victory has been scored and the efforts from the government should be to leverage that to its advantage. Any aggressive posturing at the moment, is expected to provide a rallying point to a confused Pakistan. The way forward is to carry on with normal diplomacy.
