Pakistan has lost control of its terrorist

Amir Taheri:

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Outrageous though this may sound, the low-intensity conflict had its uses: It let the two neighbors set limits to their enmity, thus avoiding all-out war.

But Pakistan and India can no longer control the situation. The larger terrorist outfits created by the ISI - groups like the Jaish Muhammad (Army of Muhammad) and The Army of the Pure (Lashkar Tayyibah) - no longer need their creator. They have their own sources of funding - international jihadi rings, plus racketeering in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Gulf. They do their own recruiting, from many lands beyond Kashmir. They've also created a network of training bases and safe havens in areas of Pakistan that the ISI doesn't control and built a web of sympathizers in many countries, including India and several European nations.

And they've expanded their ideology beyond the cause of "liberating" Kashmir. Now, they want to reconquer all lands once ruled by Muslims - an ideology that includes a commitment to overthrowing "impious" Muslim regimes, including Pakistan's.

These genies no longer listen to Aladdin. Indeed, they want to kill their erstwhile master.

The terror unleashed by the ISI may be more of a threat to Pakistan than India. The jihadis can make life difficult in parts of India, but they have no chance of overthrowing the Indian state. The overwhelming majority of Indians, including most Indian Muslims, are attached to their secular democracy. Even in Kashmir, potential jihadist sympathizers represent no more than 4 percent of the people.

In Pakistan, however, the jihadis' discourse of global reconquest may find greater resonance. The jihadis' criticism of Pakistan's corrupt political elite and repressive security apparatus could strike a chord with a majority of the populace.

Jihadi terrorism recognizes no borders. Any state trying to use it against others is likely to end up among the victims. This is why India and Pakistan must seize the chance to develop a common front to fight terror - rather than reviving their cold war, which allowed terrorism to flourish in the first place.

Pakistan is foolish to resist the opportunity given by India and the US to defeat the cancer within its borders. It must first quit acting like these guys have a right to violate the sovereignty of others but those they attack do not have a right to fight back. The Bush doctrine rejected this formulation and it is time for Pakistan's government to embrace the help that the US and India can give it in fighting this menace before it consumes Pakistan.