The eight-hour attack on the Indian consulate in Herat in western Afghanistan in the early hours of Friday is a reminder that a key stumbling block to good neighbourly relations in our region, the use of terrorism as state policy, is not about to vanish in a hurry, disavowals notwithstanding.
While Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi has invited heads of state or government of SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, business carries on as usual in the nether regions of statecraft as practised in our neighbourhood.
Not content with mounting repeated assaults on the Indian embassy in Kabul in recent years, and on our consulate in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan only last August, terrorists with their command centres inside Pakistan have now tried to hit the Indian outpost in a part of Afghanistan that is somewhat quieter than most parts of that country. If anything, this is intended to signal that the war against India will continue even beyond India’s borders, and that anti-India elements who act at the behest of Pakistani controllers can hit Indian interests at will.
The friendly government of Afghanistan has reinforced security at Indian establishment premises in the country. Indeed, Afghan forces took casualties trying to defend our consulate in Herat. But the constant testing of India’s will to persevere in Afghanistan must, alas, be taken as a given.
Bruce Reidel, who was a respected security adviser for this region in the last Bush presidency, and now lends the weight of his authority to an important US think tank, has warned recently that controllers of the terror coordinates in Pakistan have made up their minds not to allow the incoming governments in India and in Afghanistan to settle down easily. It is, therefore, up to us to reinforce our resolve through whatever steps we may think necessary with Kabul’s concurrence.
It is a healthy sign that President Pranab Mukherjee noted on Friday that India’s commitment to deepen ties of friendship with Afghanistan will not be weakened by terrorist attacks. Mr Modi, due to take over as Prime Minister in two days, also showed alacrity in trying to come to grips with a tricky situation. He was on the phone with Indian ambassador Amar Sinha right away and promised every support. Mr Modi also tweeted afterward that he was personally monitoring the security situation.
This hands-on approach will give strength to the jawans of the ITBP who handle security of Indian premises in Afghanistan in very difficult circumstances. If Mr Modi is to embrace realism, he should ask his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, a few questions if Mr Sharif comes to the Monday swearing-in.
