When newly appointed Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani recently said that he had no faith in Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, his words could not be brushed aside as they once might have been. Advani's recent promotion to his new post is believed to signal the rise of hawks in India's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which heads a coalition government.
Another statement by Advani is even more disturbing. He averred that India would do whatever was necessary if Islamabad failed to end terrorism. Given progress made in recent days to de-escalate tension between India and Pakistan, Advani's words appear to indicate a hardening of attitudes in New Delhi's halls of power.
After having been in control for years, India's moderate Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee seems to have lost his will to govern. Or perhaps he has been defeated by the hawks in the BJP.