"There are enough reasons to launch such strikes against Pakistan, but I cannot make public statements on whatever action that may be taken," Fernandes told a meeting of ex-soldiers in this northern Indian desert city on Friday."

and...

"Sinha also argued that Pakistan was "a fit case" for US military action, because it had weapons of mass destruction and terrorists."

- - - - -

Besides, Northern Pakistan would be home to LOTS of agitated Muslims.

"Central Asia is coming to play a vital strategic role in the war on terrorism, but the region also poses new threats to global security. The five Central Asian republics-Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan-were part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. Under Soviet rule, Islam was brutally suppressed, and that intolerance has continued under the post-Soviet regimes. Religious repression, political corruption, and the region's extreme poverty (unemployment rates exceed 80 percent in some areas) have created a fertile climate for militant Islamic fundamentalism. Often funded and trained by such organizations as Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda and the Taliban, guerrilla movements like the IMU (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) have recruited a staggering number of members across the region and threaten to topple the governments of all five nations.

Based on groundbreaking research and numerous interviews, Jihad explains the roots of militant rage in Central Asia, describes the goals and activities of these militant organizations, and suggests ways in which this threat could be neutralized by diplomatic and economic intervention. Rich in both cultural heritage and natural resources-including massive oil reservoirs-Central Asia remains desperately poor and frighteningly volatile. In tracing the history of Central Asia andexplaining the current political climate, Rashid demonstrates that it is a region we ignore at our peril."
Rashid, Ahmed. Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia

[ April 11, 2003, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: bluebird48234 ]

Well why not? India IS the world's largest democracy, they're under direct threat from a terrorist-supporting dictatorship (Pakistan) full of Islamic fanatics based right to their west, and have iffy relationships with a Communist superpower to their east, and there is a growing threat of Communist insurgency in the bordering nation of Nepal, as well as growing fundamentalist militancy and economic instability in Bangladesh, so why wouldn't India consider following our lead? India's standing army is huge, and it now has an estimated 50-100 nuclear warheads...we've shown the way. How badly do they want the dictator Musharraf out?

[ April 12, 2003, 11:16 PM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

Well, is Musharraf proving to be nothing but a troublemaker?

I guess you've alrady answered my question.

I just thought that India was going this alone and was, for some reason, too "trigger-happy" when she has enough problems of her own to deal with.