British MPs doubt Pak sincerity in fighting terror

NEW DELHI: In what could further strengthen the Opposition���s contention that the Manmohan Singh government should first verify Pakistan���s commitment on stopping the export of terrorism from its soil before trusting it on the resumption of peace talks, a powerful group of British MPs has expressed serious doubts about Islamabad���s resolve to fight the menace. Powerful sections within the Pakistani establishment, they maintain, continue to be fixated with India.

The concern expressed by the British Parliament's foreign affairs committee was articulated by Lord Mark Malloch-Brown , the minister of state for foreign affairs who quit his job last week citing personal and family reasons.

In a report published on Sunday, the foreign affairs committee also said that whereas Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari had referred to terrorism as the main enemy of his country, ���large parts of the security establishment��� of Pakistan continue to be fixated on India.

The Pakistani army and the intelligence establishment continue to play an influential role in fashioning their country���s reactions towards India. There is thus a lingering doubt among the opposition parties and the strategic community here in India, and the world at large, about the extent to which Pakistan could go to honour its commitment in bringing the jihadis to heel.

The Opposition parties had, during the discussion in Indian Parliament last week on the Sharm-El-Sheikh joint statement, picked holes in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh���s ���trust and verify��� policy towards Pakistan in the face
of evidence that the latter continued to sponsor terror attacks in India.

The British foreign affairs committee report on Afghanistan and Pakistan commended the civilian government in Islamabad for having taken some ���important steps��� to counter insurgency at a considerable cost in terms of lost of military lives.

���We welcome the increasing recognition at senior levels within the Pakistani military of the need for a recalibrated approach to militancy, but we remain concerned that this may not necessarily be replicated elsewhere within the army and ISI,��� it added.

The report welcomed Mr Zardari's recent remarks that he regards terrorism rather than India the real threat to his country. ���However, we further conclude that doubts remain as to whether the underlying fundamentals of Pakistani security policy have changed sufficiently to realise the goals of long-term security and stability in Afghanistan,��� it added.

Lord Mark Malloch-Brown offered a similar view to the committee . He said, ���We are convinced that (the ISI) is on board institutionally , and that the leaderships of both the army and the ISI are supportive of the president and his strategy, which is reflected through the meetings that we have had with the Pakistani army chief, General Kayani.���

���There is a difficulty, that within the ISI there may remain individuals who have some sympathy with these groups,��� said Lord Malloch-Brown , a respected former minister.

���President Zardari's comments at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (in June) as well as his recent remarks to the effect that terrorism, not India, was now seen by Pakistan as the greater threat, while welcome, do not dispel the suspicion that a large part of his country's security establishment continues to be fixated on India and on the possibility of a future military conflict between the two countries.������ the foreign affairs committee remarked.