India could move to designate its neighbor Pakistan a ‘Terror State’, according to media reports.
The high-level committee that met today at the Prime Minister’s office has arrived at this as the best option given the current situation.
Other options considered included military action against the nuclear power.
Designating Pakistan as a Terror State would automatically prevent a lot of trade and commercial transactions between India and Pakistan.
In addition, according to reports, India will also push for other countries such as the US and France to designate Pakistan in similar terms.
While the US is unlikely to do so under the current Obama Administration, the Modi government in India seems to be banking on a possible win for Donald Trump in the year-end Presidential elections in the US.
France, meanwhile, is one of the countries most badly hit by Islamist terror — a problem that India has been facing for years.
The move comes after a group of terrorists attacked an Indian army camp in Uri in Kashmir. Reportedly, they were carrying Pakistan-origin weapons and material.
After trying to engage with Pakistan using diplomacy, and failing to produce much results, the Narendra Modi-led government at the center has in recent times shifted to a more aggressive policy.
Modi has been publicly ‘shaming’ Pakistan by calling it a sponsor state of terror.
Pakistan, which was founded by a moderate leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was radicalized in the 70s by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator who ruled for over a decade.
The United States, which at the time was a staunch ally and backer of Pakistan, provided much of the logistical and financial help for the radicalization efforts, which at the time was aimed at countering the communist Soviet Union.
As such, the US has been loathe to take strong action against its ally.
