Warring Motives Lead to Conflict in Kashmir

Re “U.S. Delay Imperils S. Asia,” editorial, May 23: Far from it! Delay on the part of the United States will aid in calming South Asia and Kashmir. Third-party involvement and internationalizing Kashmir are the principal goals of the Pakistani-sponsored terrorism and nuclear blackmail. So rewarding it will bring more of it.

It is time that Washington followed a principled and consistent stance in our war against terrorism. That includes not coddling and rewarding states “sponsoring terrorism,” namely Pakistan. So far, Pakistan has given us journalist Daniel Pearl’s decapitation in addition to sheltering the Al Qaeda leadership. This is our payback for $1 billion in U.S. aid since Sept. 11.

It is time we got our house in order before calling other nations “state sponsors of terrorism.” Are we any different?

Ravi Razdan

San Diego

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Your editorial is right on. The Bharatiya Janata Party led by India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has been losing in state elections. Due to the recent carnage against Muslims in Gujarat state, it is guaranteed a defeat by the moderate Congress Party. To upgrade its sagging hard-line image it needs a fight with archfoe Pakistan to gain its popularity once more.

Pakistan has repeatedly offered to negotiate peacefully to settle the “Kashmir dispute,” but New Dehli has not been forthcoming. It seems Vajpayee wants this war, at the prodding of hard-liners in his government and other groups. If this war breaks out, it would adversely affect America’s war on terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan would be forced to pull out thousands of its troops fighting alongside the U.S. Special Forces and move them to Kashmir.

A nuclear war breaking out is a worse scenario, since American forces are deployed all over Pakistan in four major air bases leased to the U.S. by President Pervez Musharraf.

Arif A. Khan

Covina