Robi's S. Asia Briefing: 2003-11-26

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on South Asia, courtesy of Robi Sen.

PAKISTAN AND INDIA CEASE FIRE

• Tensions are starting to ease between Pakistan and India with the announcement by Pakistan of a unilateral cease fire last Sunday evening. India has responded favorably with further offers but, has made a point that the only way a cease fire can be lasting is if “cross-border infiltration ends”. Dan Darling makes some typically insightful comments about this on his blog here

Other Topics Today Include: Pakistan jihadi update; Israeli drones patrol Indian borders; India's birthrate; Chinese and Indian relations; MI5 bugs Pakistan; Islamic terrorism throughout SE Asia; Nepal; and a new resource on South Asia & Kashmir.

PAKISTAN AND INDIA

• Pakistan still plays host to a large variety of extremist terrorist groups including remnants of the Taliban. Worse still Pakistan hosts many camps for various terrorist groups which not only strike at India but coalition forces in Afghanistan, S. Asia/S.E. Asia, as well as Russia and Chechnya. You can see a map of terrorist training camps in Pakistan here. This does not count the radical Madrassas or Islamic schools which some describe as others borders. It is frightening to think that these two nuclear powers often switch from covert war and insurgency/counter insurgency to artillery exchanges so often that it is not even reported by major news sources in South Asia.

• Indian security forces killed five top Lashker – e – Taiba (LeT) terrorists in Kashmir. The LeT commander for the area was also killed; he was a resident of Pakistan.

• India is building a base and planes to deploy unmanned Israeli built reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the Chinese Navy but already uses unmanned aircraft purchased from Israel to monitor its borders with Pakistan and China.

• On an unrealted note, Niraj has an interesting article about India's birth rate and the country's attempts to control it.

INDIA AND CHINA

• India and China have continued what appears too many as emerging special relationship moving beyond economic agreements to performing joint exercises this month between the two powers navies.

• While Pakistan is uncomfortable with China and India’s emerging relationship, seeing it as a major threat, many are skeptical of India and China really becoming so close so quickly. It is easy to forget India and China fought a war in 1962, have had border skirmishes, and much of India’s nuclear program is not to defend it self from Pakistan but rather China!

TERRORISM IN SOUTH ASIA

• Victorino Matus has an interesting article on Al Qaeda in Asia with a focus on how the U.S. should help the Philippines. Asia and South Asia as we have mentioned before are major areas for training, funding and general support of Islamic fundamentalist terror. This month Australia announced the freezing of accounts linked to Hamas.

• Unfortunately it looks like Al Qaeda affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah and other groups are gathering to carry out new attacks in South Asia.

ETCETERA

• Nepal recently fought against Maoist insurgents declaring a cease fire in August. Yet the Nepalese government is still fighting and dealing with Maoist insurgents often in ways that raise serious doubts and concerns for their tactics.

• Pakistan has been complaining loudly on Britain’s lack of response to its demands for an explanation for the MI5 bungled attempt to bug Pakistan’s high commission office in London.

• The BBC has a nice web site that focuses just on the Indo-Pakistan conflict in Kashmir and some readers may find this a useful resource in learning more about this conflict and security in South Asia in general.