Subcontinental Drift: Powell's Mission

Monday, October 8, 2001

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's planned trip to India and Pakistan this week could not be better-timed. The distant sound of Tomahawk cruise missiles raining on Afghanistan may be just what it takes to clear the ears of South Asia's leaders. Those explosions should tell them that the world has changed forever -- and that their old enmities have no place in the new order of things. Hopefully, they will then be able to give Powell their fullest attention. With a little statesmanship and a lot of luck, he might be able to set the ball rolling on a South Asian peace process that will endure. And here's what he should tell them:

To Pervez Musharraf: "General, you've got to stop funding militant activity in Kashmir and close down the training camps that produce foot soldiers for Pakistan's proxy war with India. You may not regard these killers as terrorists, but that's neither here nor there: the Taliban don't think Osama bin Laden is a murderer, either. The fact is that the militants you train routinely kill innocent civilians in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir; and in the new world, that kind of activity is no longer tolerable. Besides, calling off your attack dogs is the only way to get India (and the world) to take you seriously when you talk about solving the Kashmir issue. If you don't -- if you think the thaw in U.S.-Pakistani relations means we will look the other way while your regime fosters terror in the neighborhood -- then Pakistan will quickly be returned to the status of international pariah."

MORE STORIES Kabul: Eking out an Existence Baghran: Into Taliban Country Taliban: Why the bad guys get away More Stories >>> PHOTO ESSAYS Burden of Sanctuary Afghanistan's Women A Country Divided More Photos >>> CNN.com Asia Latest news on the War on Terror IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE Inside Tora Bora Jan. 14, 2002 Past Issues Person of the Year Dec. 31, 2001 ----------------- Inside Tora Bora Dec. 24, 2001 ----------------- The Manhunt Dec. 17, 2001 ----------------- Qala-i-Jangi Dec. 10, 2001 ----------------- Unveiled at Last Dec. 3, 2001 ----------------- Hunting bin Laden Nov. 26, 2001 ----------------- First Blood Nov. 19, 2001 ----------------- Al-Qaeda's Reach Nov. 12, 2001 ----------------- War On   Two Fronts Nov. 5, 2001 ----------------- The Fear Factor Oct. 29, 2001 ----------------- The War   on Terror Oct. 22, 2001 ----------------- Facing the Fury Oct. 15, 2001 ----------------- Preparing   for Battle Oct. 8, 2001 ----------------- Target: Bin Laden Oct. 1, 2001 ----------------- America United Sept. 24, 2001 ----------------- Day of Infamy Sept. 14, 2001   INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS The World of Al-Qaeda Ramping Up the Ground War Mission Into Afghanistan More Graphics Workplace Safety Afghan Targets Anthrax Pathogen A Ground War An Uneasy Ally Targets Hit Search & Destroy Firepower & Food Frozen Assets Safety Guide Middle East Leaders Agents of Death Afghanistan Military Buildup Terrorist Cells Our Weapons Paths of Destruction Twin Terrors

To Atal Behari Vajpayee: "Prime Minister, wake up and smell the cordite. You've got to drop India's decades-old position that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter and nobody else's business. If we've learned anything since Sept. 11, it's that there's no such thing as a local conflict. Kashmir has become a proving ground for terrorism, and that makes it the world's business. So it's time India stopped stalling and let a third party negotiate in its dispute with Pakistan. We can discuss candidates for the job of honest broker, but you have to acknowledge that, after five decades of failed bilateral efforts, you are going to need a referee to stop this fight. If you don't, international pressure may force India into a compromise it may not like."

To Vajpayee and Musharraf: "Gentlemen, I know that you are both itching to have a say in post-Taliban Afghanistan, but to quote the general here: 'Back Off.' The whole Afghan mess got where it has because of Pakistan's meddling and its training of the Taliban; and India's recent attempts to cozy up with the Northern Alliance have not exactly helped matters. The fate of post-Taliban Afghanistan must be decided by the Afghan people, and by them alone. This is going to be a hugely delicate business, involving ancient ethnic and clan rivalries, and the last thing Afghanistan needs is for you folks to interfere, backing the claims of one group against those of others.

"Instead, you'd be well advised to spend your energies solving your own problems, beginning with Kashmir. You have been presented with a historic opportunity to end a 54-year enmity that has cost your countries tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in wasteful defense spending. Start talking peace now and the whole world, united by the atrocities of Sept. 11, will support you. If you don't, your will both find yourselves out of step with the new realities."