- WASHINGTON - Twenty four
hours after terrorists blasted two Americans to death in Islamabad, the
tragedy notwithstanding, what stands out is that Washington,s double standards
on terrorism remain unaffected by the aftermath of September 11.
On the day the American Center in Calcutta was attacked in January, US
state department spokesman Richard Boucher made the point in his daily
briefing that "no US staff were at the Center at the time of the incident,
and no American citizens were injured in the shooting which claimed the
lives of five Calcutta policemen and injured 13 other Indians.
The following day, President George W. Bush was pointedly asked whether
the incident in Calcutta was "an attack on our country. Bush was evasive.
He replied: "We,re gathering more information about it, to find out
exactly what the facts are.
Bush went on to make a mealy-mouthed, non-committal statement about working
together "to fight off terrorists.
Yesterday, within hours after it became clear that two American lives had
been lost in Islamabad, Bush, who was week-ending in Camp David, issued
one of his strongest statements since the attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon.
"I am outraged by the terrorist attack that took place today in Islamabad,
Pakistan, against innocent civilians, the President said.
"I strongly condemn them as acts of murder that cannot be tolerated
by any person of conscience nor justified by any cause...We will work closely
with the government of Pakistan to ensure those responsible for this terrorist
attack face justice, he added.
Secretary of state Colin Powell followed suit and asked his assistant secretary
in charge of South Asia, Christina Rocca, to cut short a visit to New Delhi
and rush to Islamabad.
The stark contrast in Washington,s reaction yesterday was not just to the
incident in Calcutta in January.
In the last seven weeks, there have been 13 incidents in Pakistan similar
to the deadly attack on the church in Islamabad yesterday.
In all these instances, the attacks were carefully planned, suggesting
a high level of organisation and planning on the part of terrorists, who
are clearly regrouping in Pakistan after their rout in Afghanistan.
In five of these 13 cases, doctors from the Shia community were targeted:
they were killed at locations which they frequented daily, indicating that
they were observed and shadowed before the terrorist plan was put into
action.
Pakistani officials have concluded that terrorists are now targeting Shia
doctors, not ordinary members of the community any more. Their aim is to
be high profile and thus send a chilling message that jihadi groups in
Pakistan are as powerful as ever.
It was a message which ought to have registered in Washington, if only
because it highlights the fact that General Pervez Musharraf is hamstrung
in his professed fight against terror within Pakistan,s borders.
The message did not register adequately here because no American lives
were involved in these 13 incidents.
The US continues to react only when lives of its citizens are in jeopardy.
One of the few Americans in public office who seemed to realise this message,
at least in part, was Republican Senator John McCain, who was in Pakistan
recently.
Appearing on television yesterday, McCain said Musharraf clearly "does
not have control over parts of his country and elements of his society,
and he,s got a long way to go.
But even McCain favoured the medicine of more US aid to Pakistan and greater
intelligence cooperation.
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