KING C BHARATI |Between the lines|
Jammu, Jan 14|16: The reports that some people have vandalized the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) near Barakhamba Road in New Delhi area amidst growing bonhomie between India and Pakistan particularly after India literally forced Pakistan to act is not a good sign for the betterment of peace in the subcontinent. While the anger and frustration of the agitated group is genuine but what we need to understand is that world is slowly realizing that India is a big player in the region and has backed our stand on Pakistan implying that India too will have to play mature and such incidents would give Pakistan an excuse to delay the process of cracking down on terrorist groups. We also need to understand that Pakistan is a fragile state where cracking down on powerful terror groups is not easy for the Nawaz Sharief government hence we must let Modi continue with his foreign policy instead of diverting his attention by these incidents. Since India has taken a stand and Pakistan too has responded even though cosmetically but that should be enough evidence that India under Modi has finally come of age and begun dictating instead of running to USA or UNO to complain against Pakistan. A mature state needs mature citizens who must wait and give some time to the person whom we have elected with such a huge mandate by having faith in his actions till something comes out of the new initiatives. Agencies add Members of a right-wing group allegedly on Thursday vandalised the office of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) near Barakhamba Road in New Delhi area here, following which one person was arrested. The four activists of Hindu Sena went to all the three rooms in the office, vandalising furniture and computers. They also scattered some pamphlets while they dismantled a miniature replica of an airplane installed near the reception desk. The outfit blamed Pakistan in connection with the attacks at Pathankot and the Indian consulate in Afghanistan. “There should be no talks with Pakistan unless they take stern action against people who have caused damage to India and hand over people like Dawood Ibrahim and Hafiz Saeed to India,” it said. Meanwhile Aware of public anger after the terror attack in Pathankot, India has deferred Friday’s foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan but was clear that it “would take place in the very near future.” The idea is to cool temperatures keeping in mind the hard line supporters of the ruling BJP and its extended family. It is not a mere coincidence that the Pakistan International Airlines office in Barakhambha in the heart of Delhi was on Thursday vandalised by a right wing group. After the initial flip-flop over Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have settled in favour of playing the peace card. The fact that discussions with Pakistan have not been called-off in a typical knee-jerk reaction, is a positive sign. But it is important for Modi and his policy advisers to think through the process and insulate it from entrenched interests who will try to disrupt any move towards normal ties. Foreign office spokesperson Vikas Swarup was at pains to clarify that the decision to postpone 
the talks was arrived at mutually when both foreign secretaries spoke over the phone on Thursday morning. India also welcomed Pakistan’s “actions” with Swarup dubbing them as “initial positive steps.” “We welcome the statement issued by the government of Pakistan yesterday (Wednesday) on the investigations into the Pathankot attack. The statement conveys that considerable progress has been made in investigation being carried out… We note the apprehension of Jaish-e-Mohammed members. The action taken against JeM is an important and positive first step,” Swarup said in his opening statement during Thursday’s weekly briefing. Reports from Pakistan indicate some members of JeM, the terror group responsible for the attack on the Pathankot air base, have been arrested. Their office forcibly sealed. More importantly, India is ready to welcome a special investigating team (SIT) from Pakistan to follow up on the leads given by New Delhi. “We look forward to SIT visit and our investigating agencies will extend all necessary co-operation to bring the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack to justice,” he said.He also added that India has “no information” on the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. This is a break from the past, when officials were wary of Pakistani counterparts’ visit to investigate any terror attack. The traditional and rather irrational view was that Pakistan would use the knowledge for future attacks.
