archive: Jaswant dubs Kargil conflict as a threat from fundamentalists
Jaswant dubs Kargil conflict as a threat from fundamentalists
Seema Guha
The Times of India
July 2, 1999
Title: Jaswant dubs Kargil conflict as a threat from fundamentalists
Author: Seema Guha
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 2, 1999
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Jaswant Singh has brought a new
dimension to the Kargil conflict by dubbing it as a threat from
fundamentalist forces and calling it a part of the Afghanistan
syndrome. By bringing into focus the threat from Islamists, was India
in danger of offending the Muslim countries and governments in the
Gulf region with which New Delhi has solid economic and trade ties?
No, say officials in South Block. In fact, the minister has touched
not a raw nerve but a deep-seated concern of Islamic governments. The
fear of fundamentalism is most apparent among Islamic governments,
many of whom face a real threat from these forces. Whether it is in
moderate Islamic countries like Egypt, Turkey, Algeria or in a rigid
Muslim country like Saudi Arabia, the forces of fundamentalism are a
threat to established regimes.
Pakistan's military establishment, which spawned the Taliban in
Afghanistan is itself a prey to fundamentalist threats. Nawaz Sharif
himself began his political career as a protege of military dictator
General Zia-ul Haq, who was trying to gain legitimacy by encouraging
Islamists.
However, once his Pakistan Muslim League gathered momentum, Mr Sharif
gradually disassociated his party from more virulent groups who once
was part of his outfit.
Today, Mr Sharif faces a threat from fundamentalists who do not agree
with his wish for restoring ties with India. Luckily for the ruling
party, the religious groups have no representation in Pakistan's
National Assembly. However, thanks to General Zia, the lower echelons
of the defence forces are filled with hardline religious types many of
whom believe in a "jehad" to "liberate" fellow Muslims in Jammu and
Kashmir.
In the most rigorous of Islamic states, the fear of terrorism is as
much as in places like Algeria, where when orthodox Islamic parties
won round one of the national elections, they were prevented from
getting to the next phase. Instead, those polls were scrapped to keep
the secular forces in Algeria. In Turkey the army has ensured that
Islamists do not gain control.
Saudi Arabia is a state ruled with an iron hand by a monarchy which
tries to follow the strict tenements of the faith. However, even this
royal house is threatened by those who want an even more strict and
purer form of Islam to be practised. The aim of this group is to
bring in what they regard as a "purer form of Islam." The attack on a
U.S. army base here is suspected to be the work of ultra-orthodox
Islamic terrorists.
The recurrent theme in statements of the Saudi leadership has been a
strong criticism of extremism, violence and terrorism. Crown Prince
Abdullah, at the OIC Summit in Teheran in December 1997, had severely
criticised Islamic militants: "Many questions arise in Muslim
countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, about the heinous
crimes being committed in the name of Islam and under the pretext of
creating an Islamic form of government. Are these killers to be
trusted? Are they qualified to create an Islamic State? Why do Arab
and Muslim worlds keep silent with regard to what is going on?"
Islamic fundamentalism is a growing worry for the international
community. The bombing of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya
had led to U.S. attacks on Sudan and Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden,
the bearded millionaire with a AK-47 and a spartan life style is the
new face of Islamic terrorism.
Mr Jaswant Singh was merely echoing the concern of the entire
international community when he pinpointed Islamic fundamentalism as a
threat to India. Many of the intruders in Kargil are from the stables
of the Taliban religious school, the extremist group which now
controls Afghanistan.
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