Last week the US announced a
bounty of $10 million on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed.The
announcement was made just a few days before Pakistani president Asif Ali
Zardari visited India for a Sunday lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh.Everybody knows that the Americans are talking tough because nothing has
come out of their demands.Pakistan has refused to act against Saeed.
After this announcement many people think that Indian and USA are on the same
page now but I feel this is not the case.Indian government is getting excited
about the bounty on Saeed but one should understand that the reward was only for
information that could lead to Saeed's prosecution. It shows clear that the
Americans are not trying to hunt down Hafiz Saeed.
Islamabad should realize that the US decision is not a shot in the arm for
India. It should be an embarrassment to Indians because they have been saying
that they have enough evidence against Saeed but US seems to be mocking them by
announcing a bounty for information on a man who is freely moving around in
Pakistan. The US is saying to New Dehli that because you do not have enough
evidence , we have to use these tactics to put pressure on Pakistan. This move
has condemned Indians and favoured Pakistan in a way.
It means India and the US are not on the same page on LeT and I don't think that
the US bounty gives India an opportunity to exert pressure on Pakistan.The move
is symbolic, intended to mount diplomatic pressure on Pakistan on a range of
other issues. If it's all about symbolism, the $10 million announcement is not a
favour to India.
New Delhi has been trying to use western capitals to put more pressure on
Pakistan to check Saeed who roams around in the country. Lashkar-e-Taiba is
banned since 2001 but LeT has been operating inside Pakistan under a new name,
Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD). West has refused to take any action against Pakistan
despite repeated requests from India to ask Pakistan to check Jamat-ud Dawa.
Pakistan's police and judicial system showing no enthusiasm to book Saeed. Even
if some evidence comes up, there is no guarantee that any action, especially
extradition to India or the US will happen.
LeT has been India's headache for long.I am sure that India's pleas against the
network will not bear fruit because the group enjoys support in Pakistan. The
Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD) has strong connections to the security establishment , to
religious political parties, and to extremist movements like the Difa-e-Pakistan
(Defence of Pakistan) movement. It also has a lot of public support amongst
ordinary Pakistanis for its role in the struggle in Kashmir, . It would thus be
problematic for an elected Pakistani government to move against the JuD even if
it wished to do so.The kind of support Saeed has in Pakistan, it's unlikely that
someone would act against him.
Though Americans banned LeT in 2001 and the JuD in 2006, it failed to force
Pakistan to take any concrete action. And that's why, I believe, the bounty
move, too, will fail.
Pakistan has always followed the policy of good terrorist and bad terrorist .
The good ones attack India, and the bad guys hit at home. In that sense, Saeed
is an asset Pakistan can't give up.