On a day marked by uneasy calm in the ongoing standoff between the Pak government and the military, New Delhi has been watching the events unfold there with some amount of anxiety as well as concern.
Amidst the current confrontation in the neighbouring country, what is of concern to New Delhi is not only the impact it will have on the internal dynamics there but its fallout in the region as well, said sources. They also note that New Delhi will be keeping a keen eye on whether the current happenings and a scenario where the civilian government has been virtually dysfunctional will give an impetus to the growth of elements of the Taliban in the long run.
Army chief General V.K. Singh when asked if India has sounded any alert along the Indo-Pak border given the present turmoil in Pakistan said, “Nothing like that.” “ We do not have to wait for somebody to tell us to be more alert or sound red alert. We are always alert,” he added.
Union home minister P.Chidambaram too said that the developments in Pakistan are being watched closely by India.
Asked about the fallout of the current situation in Pakistan, former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal remarked, “We can’t do business with a country that can’t take care of its internal affairs”. Mr Sibal further said the situation in Pakistan is “serious and disquieting because the Pak polity is crumbling.”
The former foreign secretary took note of the fact that “such little restraint has been shown by both the sides and there is a situation where the civilian government is openly condemning the Army and accusing its of constitutional misconduct and the Pak Army Chief goes to the Supreme Court to prove that the President is working against the security of the state. “
Mr Sibal accused the West, led by the US of “tolerating the misconduct” of Pakistan and of protecting it. Calling upon the US to “act on the basis if reality”, he said that it “needs to be pro-active to shape the conduct of Pakistan.”