Noting that Pakistan deliberately uses terrorism against India, a US scholar has advocated stronger ties with New Delhi and asking Islamabad to start cooperating or lose its aid and face outright isolation.
Pakistan’s behaviour and its policies are a fully rational response to its leaders conception of the country’s national interest, especially those in the military, Stephen D. Krasner, former US director of policy planning at the state department wrote in the January/February issue of Foreign Affairs magazine. “Pakistan’s fundamental goal is to defend itself against its rival, India. Islamabad deliberately uses nuclear proliferation and deterrence, terrorism, and its prickly relationship with the United States to achieve this objective,” Mr Krasner, currently professor of international relations at Stanford University said.
“Pakistan’s nuclear strategy is to project a credible threat of first use against India. The country has a growing nuclear arsenal, a stockpile of short-range missiles to carry warheads, and plans for rapid weapons dispersion should India invade,” he said. So far, the strategy has worked, he said. — IANS