Pak's inability to control things inside its territory is real problem: Cohen

New York, Dec 29 (ANI): India attacking Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes is not going to solve the problem, as the real crisis faced by Pakistan is the inability to control what happens inside its territory, according to a noted US-based South Asia expert.

"For India, a military strike seems unlikely to change that situation. It's hard to find a military way of responding," said Stephen P. Cohen, a South Asia expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Though tensions have risen in the past few days, India is not advocating a military confrontation with Pakistan, the country's neighbor and archrival, The New York Times reported.

Fear of a conflict in South Asia is unlikely to pass quickly, as Pakistan has resisted a broad crackdown on the militants India says were behind the Mumbai carnage.

But for India, many here say, the cost is too high, not just because both sides have nuclear arms. As an Indian official put it, "Almost anything against Pakistan would be messy."

The Mumbai attacks prompted outbursts from the Indian media and led Indian officials to state that their "restraint" should not be mistaken for "weakness," the NYT reported

Yet even a surgical strike on terrorists' training camps in Pakistan, one of the options floated in the immediate aftermath of the attack, would bring unwanted risks, according to policy makers and analysts.

They say it could damage India's economic prospects at a time when the country is vulnerable to the global downturn, the paper reported.

Moreover, past military engagements with Pakistan strengthened the political influence of Pakistan's Army and weakened its civilian government. Many in India say they are reluctant to do anything to undermine civilian rule there. (ANI)