'Worried' India says it is a lesson for Pak in its war on terror

Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee was on way to his residence in Kolkata when he got the call informing him about Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

The prime minister was the first person Mukherjee contacted. The external affairs ministry was the next.

"This killing must be condemned in the strongest possible manner. She was not only prime minister twice but also an international leader and she had to go at such an early age... this should be a lesson for Pakistan. They should take up the fight against terrorism in real earnest," Mukherjee told Business Standard on phone from Kolkata.

Mukherjee has cancelled all engagements in West Bengal and is rushing back to New Delhi tonight. Sources said Mukherjee would visit Pakistan to attend Bhutto's funeral as India's representative.

The Indian foreign office concurs that the assassination could not have come at a worst time, both for Pakistan and India, for even those looking for best-case scenarios predict that Pakistan could quickly slide into anarchy. There is now no possibility of elections, due in two weeks, being held as scheduled. In fact, emergency might be reimposed. This means the democratic process in Pakistan will be stillborn.

However, it is the short-term management that is worrying New Delhi. Observers say Pakistan has already been gripped by widespread and deep anger at the army, which is seen as the proximate cause of the assassination.

If ordinary people descend on streets and begin attacking symbols of the military rule and Pakistan descends into civil war and chaos, India's borders could become unsafe. India's consistent position has been that a stable and equable Pakistan is to India's advantage.

In India, first off the bat, the CPI(M) said the assassination was condemnable but warned against forces trying to destabilise Pakistan and not allowing it to become a democracy. "These efforts must be thwarted," the CPI(M) said.

India will watch closely the moves by the US, which has supported Bhutto in the process of democratisation of Pakistan. Whether the US will continue to view Musharraf as the last bulwark against Jihadi elements or see him as a part of the problem remains to be seen.

Western reports suggest that early next year, US special forces are likely to train and support indigenous counter-insurgency forces more actively. This could mean, at least in the short term, some curbs on the movement of jihadi elements into India.

A few days ago, Bhutto reacted without anger to National Security Advisor MK Narayanan's remark that she could not be trusted to act in India's interest. Bhutto reacted with poise saying she was unhappy that India didn't seem to trust her. But now, all bets are off in India about the turn the events in Pakistan will take.

The Centre tonight issued an alert to all states for maintaining tight vigil, especially along the Indo-Pak border. The Border Security Force (BSF), guarding the Indo-Pak borders, had been asked to remain vigilant, said a home ministry spokesman said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed deep shock over the assassination saying the incident was a "reminder" of the common dangers faced in the sub-continent. The Congress Working Committee is meeting tomorrow to discuss the incident.