Open letter to the government of India.

Dear Sirs,

Namaste.

May I offer my deepest condolences, for the tragedy of what happened in Mumbai recently. I like you was both shocked and horrified by the events of what happened there. I was relieved that through the actions of the brave and professional security forces of India, the tragedy was not allowed to linger adding to the agony of those who had already lost their lives.

So what happens now? The nation looks to you to provide leadership and direction at this critical juncture.

South Asia as one entity, looks to you to provide mature leadership and direction for the WHOLE of the region. What actions and policies India pursues matters to Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka directly. So India given its significance must be careful how she pursues such policies.

First I think what we require are full detailed reports by persons appointed by the Union government at the center, acquainted with the security situation in India (The full official/unofficial situation if you understand what I am talking about). India is a mighty power, which brings with it certain regional and global responsibilities. In that scenario it might be immature to come to hasty conclusions, and make accusations against Pakistan at this juncture which may have further more serious consequences later.

We ought not to allow ourselves to be driven into false positions which does further harm to the situation than was intended by this ghastly act, which compromises the position of India, of its people, of South Asians, and yes though it may seem inappropriate, the long term prospects of the Congress Party of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi within Indian politics.

The Congress Party is all too familiar with the potent mix of politics with terrorism, in relation to at least three of these illustrious former leaders. The Congress political leadership in light of such experiences must offer something better, based on experiences of the past in its own history. From its past experiences with such a tragedy the Congress Party must offer unique solutions, rather than resort to instant finger pointing of obvious targets, based on calculated false stories from Shiv Sena controlled Mumbai. The Congress Party must not become hostages to the Communal policies, overtly and covertly, of the Shiv Sena. That the Shiv Sena leads and the Congress party obediently, without question, without the slightest murmur of protest follows the communal politics of the Shiv Sena, in staged encounters on their home turf, with possible foreign linkages.

The Congress party has ample resources to refute the version of events as explained by the Mumbai authorities. There are grave inconsistencies in what has transpired in the Mumbai terrorist incident as explained by the authorities there. Then there was the loss of Hemant Kakare ATS chief, who coincidentally with his colleagues were also working with him on cases linking the RSS to terrorist acts in India, exposed to the world a week before his untimely and tragic death.

The Congress Party, if it were to act quickly possesses the work of ATS Chief Hemant Kakare with which to build an alternative narrative to that created by the Siv Sena Mumbai authorities. Not to do so, and for Congress in false feelings of national slight to follow the Communal Card is to doom the long term prospects of the Congress Party. If you do so you will lose the Muslim vote in India, followed by the untouchables who are closely allied to the Muslims. With the loss of these voting blocks, the Congress party will not gain votes from the Middle Class, or lower Middle class Hindu block, a significant section of which are strongly identified with the BJP.

So this is as much about protecting and supporting Congress grassroots supporters, rather than becoming a party which like the Liberals of the UK, in the 1920's became a permanent peripheral party for the next 100 years. To protect your mass appeal and base you must remain stead fast in your support to your main blocks, the untouchables (20% of Indian population) and the Muslims (14%) whilst building through good governance, support from other sections of Indian society, as a mass effective party that represents all India.

In relation to Pakistan, it is failed state number 9 from the bottom. It is clear whilst the majority of Congress leaders were locked away by the Raj authorities in early 1940's, the Muslim League Party was fully activated as a mass appeal party, leading to the creation of Pakistan. Since then Pakistan repeatedly attacked India as the sole aggressor, in 1948, 1965, 1971, 1990 almost and 1999 Kargil, through the "Dutch courage" of American arms. It is well known that the civilian polity in Pakistan whether through misfortune or design is weak, and the Western trained and armed Pakistani military have been the main instigators of an overt anti-India policy(Musharaf might retire to the USA). It is well known that the British created the ISI (a state within a state) in 1948 , and the USA enjoys very close relations with the ISI, fully working with it in "Operation Cyclone" and "Greenbelt" from the 1970's, through the arming of the Mujaheddin, the Taliban and al-Qaeda, with consequences for India in Kashmir.

Dear illustrious sirs, who do you blame for this misfortune of Pakistan? Is finger pointing at Pakistan at this particular time going to resolve 61 years of foreign intrigue in South Asia? Is finger pointing at Pakistan the correct avenue through which to unravel the problems of 61 years?

Beyond the issue of Pakistan I am convinced that what happened in Mumbai recently is not the work of Pakistan state agencies, whose hands are full dealing with internal problems in Baluchistan and NWFP, and have tentatively sent feelers for peace with India and are in the process of reigning in the ISI. That what happened in Mumbai was the work of the RSS/Siv Sena to eliminate a brave individual who challenged their "Patriotic" "India first" credentials, Hement Karkare. But in doing so they also killed many innocent Indians so as not to make their main target of attack look too obvious.

Call it a fake encounter on a slightly grand scale, with Israeli assistance.

These are points which I have made in my blog, which I hope you take the time to browse through.

Therefore I urge you not to up the ante against Pakistan at this juncture. This will only play into the hands of the BJP, at which they excel, and not be of significant advantage to the multi-racial based, multi-communal Congress Party whose strongest messages are unity through diversity, tolerance and the upliftment of the masses.

A mature approach would be to use the tragedy of Mumbai to create GOOD, through closer liaisons between RAW and the ISI, with direct high level regular meetings, exchanging information on matters related to regional terrorism, and discussions of general security (Monthly---Islamabad/Delhi). I believe that these two historic institutions need to talk to each in person more often, directly. In terms of the military of the two nations, very much the same; greater high level face to face meetings, rather than having mere hotlines with each other, this is superficial. Given the present scenario, the Pakistanis can't refuse, and India must insist. India must insist on this, as a permanent arrangement.

It is easier and more "mature" and "civilised" to hold the other side to account for any future scenarios such as these in direct face to face meetings with the relevant authorities, rather than through airwave/press briefings verbal spats.

Punch and Judy: "Yes you did it" "No I didn't" "Oh yes you did, you did, you did" "No I didn't, I didn't, I didn't"................the foreign crowd, especially from the USA gathers and cheers both sides, and each actor dutifully plays his comic/tragic role. "Yes I swear, you did.........that boy is one of yours" " No he's foreign, not our national, doesn't live here, not our responsibility, and the LeT have denied it"........................and so on. Utterly meaningless. Solves very little substantively.

Once such historic meetings between the senior personnel of the intelligence and military of the two nations take place, and are televised, and written about, with joint reports published, then this will be the "victory" for South Asia from the tragedy of Mumbai, an event which incurred and united in sadness ALL South Asians.


Yours Faithfully,


Mostaque A Ali.