May 20: Now that the national election is over, Indian diplomacy will face demands to aid US President Barack Obama’s strategy on Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak). To win greater Pakistani military cooperation on the Afghan frontier, Mr Obama is seeking New Delhi’s assistance on at least two fronts — border-troop reductions and a resumption of "peace" talks with Islamabad.
India can assist to the extent that its own interests are safe. India has no offensively-configured troop formations along the Pakistan border, and any cut in border deployments must not provide the Pakistani military an opening to infiltrate more armed terrorists into India. New Delhi has no quarrel with Pakistan’s fledgling civilian government, but a renewed bilateral dialogue can be meaningful only if Islamabad goes beyond cosmetic measures against its military-nurtured, India-directed Punjabi terror groups, like the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The Obama team also had sought an easing of Pakistani concerns over India’s role in Afghanistan. But Mr Obama’s special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, has rubbished Pakistani claims of Indian intelligence operations, saying that contrary to the alleged presence of "hundreds" of Indian operatives in Kandahar, his inquiry revealed that the Indian consulate there has merely "six or eight people". India has a major stake in the future of Afghanistan and will stay an important player there, as underscored by its $1.2 billion aid programme.
http://newageislam.com/the-march-of-folly--obamas-four-word-afpak-strategy--/war-on-terror/d/1415
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