Pakistan holds the key to maintaining peace in South Asia: Washington Post

Washington, Dec.3 : An editorial in the Washington Post has been quite categorical in stating that Pakistan holds the key to salvaging not only its nascent civilian democracy, but also in taking steps to prevent it and India from sliding toward a war in the wake of last week's terror attacks in Mumbai.

Though Pakistan is likely to enjoy Washington's support, both from the outgoing Bush administration and the incoming Obama administration, the editorial cautions that Islamabad will have to come up with credible plans and show tangible results to permanently remove suspicions of a Pakistani link to the slaughter of nearly 200 people, including six Americans, in Mumbai.

It further goes on to say that while Indian security officials are being forced to resign for failing to foresee and prevent the Mumbai massacre, there is public as well as international pressure mounting on Pakistan to deliver on its anti-terrorism promises.

Both Washington and New Delhi are of the view that while the Pakistan Government may not be directly involved or blamed for the attacks, they are concerned, if not aggravated about the extent to which Pakistan-based terrorists enjoy support from within Pakistani military intelligence.

The editorial warns that India has the ability to strike terrorist targets in Pakistan, and therefore, Pakistan should heed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's missive to be completely, absolutely and totally transparent in its cooperation with New Delhi on terror investigations.

ANI