Obama and the Americans have much to rejoice that they had been able to teach a lesson to those who dared to attack the US. For them security of every American is more important than anything else and showed the world that where there is a will there is a way. While the Republicans and the Democrats are politically opposed, on the issue of national security, they work in unison. In fact the US Lawmakers have already begun to put pressure on the Obama administration to get Islamabad’s explanation about the presence of Osama in Pakistan. The US has provided more than $ 20 billion in aid to Pakistan since 9/11. But Washington needs Islamabad for its Afghan strategy.

Obama, who is into his third year of his term is sure to get a second term for his courageous decision to go after Osama hiding for the past five years in a villa surrounded by Pakistan retired military officers houses in Abottabad, 60 Km away from Islamabad. It is debatable about the extent of collusion between Osama and the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies.

Is there a lesson for India to learn from this Osama elimination? What about justice to our own victims of the Mumbai terror attack? What about justice to the victims of the Parliament attack in which some security guards gave their lives in dealing with the terrorist attack?

One might argue that New Delhi has adopted the due process of law. Agreed that these culprits had gone through the judicial process but why is not justice done after the courts have pronounced death sentence to Afzal Guru who was found guilty in the Parliament attack? The mercy plea is still awaiting a presidential decision and so are about 34 others who had been awarded death sentence by the courts for various other heinous crimes. How come Dawood said to be the mastermind of the Mumbai 1993 bomb blasts is walking free in Pakistan?

Unfortunately, the politicians seem to be confused about justice to the culprits and their vote bank politics. This is true of Afzal Guru or Kasab as the politicians worry more about their votes rather than giving exemplary punishment to the terrorists. The national parties like the Congress and the BJP are seen to be pleading for or against the punishment to Afzal Guru keeping in their minds their vote banks. What is the religion of terrorists? Things that affect the national security should not be confused with religion or vote banks. Politicians should allow the law to take its own course. India should learn a lesson or two from the Americans and the Israelis who have shown time and again that non-state actors who indulge in terrorism, will not be tolerated.

Secondly Osama’s exit and the way he was eliminated has provided an opportunity to New Delhi to send a message to Pakistan and the world on 26/11. Osama’s exit is bound to put pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to rework its Pakistan policy as well as AfPak policy. As Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted after the announcement of killing of Osama, it is clear that the Americans need logistical support of Pakistan to deal with Afghanistan while Pakistanis need the American dollars for improving their economy and military strength. This mutual dependence on each other is going to continue for some more time and therefore the US will not push Pakistan beyond a point. New Delhi must use this opportunity to impress upon Washington and the international community the need to force Pakistan to deal with other terrorist outfits in a firm manner. Otherwise, Osama may be dead but the Jihadi terrorism may continue.

Thirdly, while the US can declare with satisfaction that it has hunted down Osama and killed him, for New Delhi no such relief is in sight as we are still expecting Pakistan to deliver to the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attack and there is no forward movement in this regard. Moreover, proxy war on the Kashmir border still continues. Now is the time to build international pressure on Islamabad to deliver perpetrators of 26/11-terror attack to justice. It is clear that so long as the Pakistan army controls, there could be no real change in Indo-Pak strategy. When the ISI could manage to keep out the American agencies from discovering the hiding place of Osama for five years, how can one expect Pakistan to deliver? One lesson from the American experience is that New Delhi should also explore other avenues, as simply depending upon Pakistan authorities is not going to yield results. Hafiz Sayeed roams about freely in Pakistan. Bin Laden in a way represented the ideologies of India-centered terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad, which continue to find safe haven in Pakistan. This does not mean that the peace process should be derailed as dialogue is the only way forward and the two sides must keep talking.

Osama may be dead but Al Qaeda’s Lashkar links should still be a worry for India. The two are known to share their training facilities. For taking revenge, Al Qaeda’s new leadership may use its worldwide terror links and this is where India should remain watchful. (IPA Service)