Arms Yes, Men No

It’s certainly not the best way for two states to come together, but for decades Pakistan and Sri Lanka seem to have worked on the "your enemy is my enemy" principle. But despite this rather strange confluence of interests and Pakistan’s highlighting of the anti-India sentiments prevailing on the emerald island, recent events in Sri Lanka have evoked little public interest. In fact, the last time that country made it to the news was last October, when Gen Pervez Musharraf’s visit nearly cost him the general headquarters.

Now, after LTTE’s rapid advance on Jaffna and Colombo’s call for assistance, many observers and even members of Musharraf’s government are warning against active military involvement in the region. The foreign office too is playing it safe. Regarding the possibility of sending in Pakistani troops to Sri Lanka, Iftiqar Murshid, the foreign office spokesman, said, "I have not seen any telegram where there has been a request for such help. But we are always ready to provide any logistic help and humanitarian aid." But, in the same breath, he also mentioned a request for help in the "evacuation of troops". And when told that this would entail the physical presence of Pakistani troops in Sri Lanka, he merely replied: "This is just a conjecture".

Many observers here see the present threat to Colombo as being the result of continued Indian assistance to the LTTE. Says former defence secretary, Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood, "This assistance is the backbone of the LTTE. But Colombo’s mismanagement has also played a role in the rebel gains." However Masood is quick to caution against sending in troops, "I think the government realises that it wouldn’t serve our purpose. Of course, we should help with supplies and spares as we have officially been doing in the past." Interestingly, Islamabad is also viewing Israeli inroads into the area with some interest. And in fact, of late, hints emanating from the foreign minister indicate that Islamabad might be assessing whether it should finally recognise Israel or not.

Says regional expert Khalid Mehmood, "Short of sending troops we should continue to collaborate in other fields. It’ll be a risky affair to go in there. India’s precedence is there for all to see." Apart from India’s ‘double game’, the ‘viceroy approach’ New Delhi has maintained vis-a-vis Sri Lanka in the past is also cause for Islamabad’s misgivings. Finally, whatever the reasons, it’s clear that Islamabad is in no hurry to jump into the Lankan imbroglio. At least for now.