Attack On Mumbai Greatly Adds To The Pressure Already On Pakistan

As the government of Pakistan is having more of its fair share in dealing with Islamic radicalism, being blamed for the Mumbai Massacre could be the last thing that it needs.

There is much pressure mounted on Pakistan’s government nowadays. It has been dealing in its fair shares of battles against Islamic militants. Pakistan’s main battle is with the Pakistani Taliban. Also, it is believed that Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is hiding somewhere in the border dividing Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan was plunged into much chaos back in October of 2007 when former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned from her eight-year exile in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Bhutto’s return was short celebrated as she was met by bombing attacks on her life. She would take up the post as the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). In December 27, 2007, Bhutto was assassinated. The parliamentary elections set for January of 2008 were postponed. The leader of Pakistan’s Taliban was blamed for Bhutto’s death. However, many had blamed then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. After the parliamentary elections, Musharraf’s power had faded away. As a result, Pakistan was under new leadership. Still, it did not stop the attacks by Islamic militants. Now, Pakistan is being accused of India for the recent Mumbai Massacre. An unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had taken the world by surprise in a bloody massacre of gunfire that lasted for three days. The main targets were luxury hotels and a Jewish community center. International intelligence agencies were caught with their pants down. Also, this attack was definitely a new one. However, Pakistan has dismissed the accusations coming from India. Also, many Pakistanis were horrified at the brutal killings that swept across Mumbai. Pakistan’s government had condemned the Mumbai Massacre. It also agreed to send over its top spy agency chief to help with the investigation. The only surviving gunman claims that he worked with the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba, which has ties to Al-Qaeda. However, there is still not enough strong evidence or information to suggest that the Deccan Mujahideen came from Pakistan. Not much is known on the origins of the Deccan Mujahideen. Plus, there were no suicide bombings involved. The gunmen sprayed as many people as they could with gunfire. So far, it could be detrimental to initially suspect Pakistan. Also, this incident and the suspicion have hurt ties between India and Pakistan. Current Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the late-Benazir Bhutto, has been working to build normal relations and communications with India. Overall, this could spell chaos for both Pakistan and India. The chaos from the Mumbai Massacre will be one of the international challenges that United States Democratic President-elect Barack Obama must deal with once he takes the oath of office for the President of the United States come January 20, 2009.