Musharraf's exit: What it means for India

If you are gleeful that the man who planned the Kargil war is gone, don’t be. That’s the view from Delhi, writes Pankaj Vohra.

If you are gleeful that the man who planned the Kargil war is gone, don’t be. That’s the view from Delhi.

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With General Pervez Musharraf gone, terror groups are likely to target India with new determination and violent needling — like recent firing from across the Line of Control Kashmir — is likely to increase, Indian intelligence officials told Hindustan Times.

Delhi acknowledges Musharraf’s crackdown on terror and the influence he exercised on the Pakistan army — because of US pressure — had led to a fall in infiltration and border skirmishes.

During the clampdown, Pakistani intelligence agencies operated through Bangladesh-based extremists, and the shadowy Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) used Nepal as a base, said a senior official on condition of anonymity since he is not authorised to talk to the media.

Another official said Musharraf’s exit was not going to make a difference to Pakistan’s porous western border with Afghanistan, where US forces will continue to work with the Pakistan Army under General Ashfaq Kiyani.

That means there could be “increased activity” on Pakistan’s eastern borders, with India, another official said.

The situation in Kashmir, said officials, gives Pakistan an opportunity to send infiltrators. Reports say Lashkar-e-Taiyyabba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have become more active.