Making A Difference

"Blame Game Will Kill The Anti-Terror Mechanism"

Pakistan foreign minister says the joint mechanism can work only if India and Pakistan don't make impossible demands on each other.

Advertisement

"Blame Game Will Kill The Anti-Terror Mechanism"
info_icon
Imagine this incredible scene: spy masters from Pakistan's ISI and India's RAW sit around a table, poring over details of a recent terrorist attack. They share information, promise to pursue the case, and shake hands before departing. None of the cloak-and-dagger game both agencies love to play. The imagined scene may well become a reality with the two countries deciding to establish a joint mechanism against terrorism.

When Mariana Baabar walked into the office of foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri to speak on the proposed joint mechanism, he had just finished reading Outlook's cover story, Don't Hang Afzal (October 30, 2006), that Arundhati Roy had written a fortnight back. Kasuri remarked, "Powerful stuff. The writer has spent quality time researching this piece." Kasuri switched to talking about the joint mechanism, carefully choosing every word he spoke. For instance, all through this conversation, he preferred the nomenclature "experts" for "intelligence agencies". Excerpts from the interview:

Advertisement

There is so much mistrust and suspicion in both countries over incidents of terrorism. Can a joint mechanism against terrorism succeed?
What pitfalls do you see in setting up this mechanism?
How did the idea of establishing a joint mechanism germinate?
Given the history of Indo-Pak relations, is it possible for these 'experts' to cooperate?
What's the first step?
What happens in the event of a terrorist attack inside Kashmir?
Pakistan doesn't consider acts of violence in Kashmir as terror, but a fight for self-determination. What Kasuri is saying is that there can't be a blanket characterisation of violence in Kashmir as terror

Advertisement

Tags

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement