Author: S. Rajagopalan
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: February 13, 2003
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_160613,00050001.htm
CIA chief George Tenet has informed
a Senate panel that Pakistan is continuing to support anti-India groups
in Jammu and Kashmir and cautioned that another major terrorist act could
provoke India to mass forces on the border again.
In a testimony before the Senate
Intelligence Committee, Tenet said the Al Qaeda continues to find refuge
in the hinterlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan, apart from establishing
a presence in Iran and Iraq. Osama's network "is living in the expectation
of resuming the offensive", he said.
On Islamabad's nexus with anti-India
outfits, Tenet said: "Pakistan continues to support groups that resist
India's presence in Kashmir in an effort to bring India to the negotiating
table." Frustration with continued attacks has prompted India to reject
any suggestion for resumption of talks with Pakistan.
Although India's border demobilisation
has reduced the danger of imminent war, the CIA chief said the cycles of
tension between the two countries are growing shorter. Without progress
on resolving Indo-Pak differences, any provocation like the attack on the
Indian Parliament could trigger another major troop mobilisation, he said.
Meanwhile, the White House said
on Tuesday that easing Indo-Pak tensions is going to be "a long-term project"
for President Bush. He will pursue it along with other nations, notably
Russia and UK, that have played a useful role in reducing the tensions.
Tenet spoke of multiple intelligence
reports warning of potential terrorist attacks in the US and on the Arabian
peninsula from groups with strong Al Qaeda ties. These reports are "the
most specific we have seen", prompting the Bush regime to raise the security
threat perception to the "orange level".
On the nuclear front, the CIA chief
said some of the smaller countries wanted to confront the world with a
new nuclear arms race that threatens to dismantle non-proliferation efforts.
He also referred to the "concern"
about the "maturing nuclear programmes" of India and Pakistan.
