Deteriorating security situation in Pakistan worries India

From V Mohan Narayan
Addis Ababa, May 23 (PTI) Pakistan's fast
deteriorating security situation has set off strong concerns
in India over the danger posed by Islamabad's nuclear arsenal
falling into wrong hands.
The "real risk" is internal and "who guards the
guardian", official sources said in response to a question on
the safety of its nuclear weapons and the string of terror
attacks in Pakistan including the latest at its Mehran naval
base in Karachi.
Though the threat is not from such "mass casualty
attacks", there is a general sense of concern as Pakistan
"loses internal coherence", the sources said.
Another source of worry for India is Pakistan going in
for increasing number of weapons, they said.
While India does not foresee a nuclear attack in view
of its credible nuclear deterrence, in the event anyone uses
nuclear weapons, there will be "clearcut massive retaliation",
the sources said.
Asked about the brazen Taliban terror attack on the
military base in Karachi in which 14 people, including 10
securitymen were killed, the sources described it as a "very
organised attack".
It was a sophisticated strike using heavy weapons
since it is a joint base of the army, air force and the navy.
Reports reaching Indian government said there there
were a number of foreigners who have been taken hostages, the
sources said.
The sources noted that terrorists were striking at
free will in the recent past having targeted the army
headquarters in Rawalpindi as also the Saudi and US diplomatic
missions.
Asked whether such attacks portends any threat for
India, the sources said while there is no signal as such,
"threat from this kind of terrorism is very much there".
About the safety of Indian High Commission staff in
Islamabad, the sources said "we have been facing a threat for
some time and constantly reviewing the situation".
On the situation in Afghanistan, the sources
said it was vastly different today from what was prevailing in
2001.
Developmental work was going at a brisk pace, girls
were going to school and the tribal structure prevalent then
had more or less disappeared.
A new generation of leaders has also come up, they
noted.
About the progress in reconciliation efforts in the
country, the sources said the world cannot decide on the issue
of power-sharing in Afghanistan.
"It is for the Afghans to decide and chart out their
future course".
In New Delhi's perception, those who lay down arms
and join the political process can take things forward.
In this context, India has noted that over 2,000
Taliban, mainly local people, have decided to join the
mainstream.