October 13, 2011 – For decades India and Pakistan are menacing each other with their military power including the threat of a possible nuclear war. India accuses its neighbor of backing separatist groups in the frontier region and Indian authorities reckoned Pakistani agencies to have supported the terror attacks at Bombay in 2008.
Now new accusations have been made. During a parliamentary debate in India, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said: “Sometimes it [counterfeiting India’s currency] is used as a policy matter. I do not want to use the names of the country. Everybody is aware of what is their objective.” Not mentioning Pakistan by name is usual custom in India, but everybody understands who is “the country”, as results from the immediate repercussions in the national newspapers, where speculation grew that Pakistan introduces counterfeited currency into India through the Nepal border to destabilize the economy.
Counterfeiting currency is not a new way of destabilizing an enemy, e.g. Napoleon fought this way against Austria. But nevertheless it is not out of fashion. India wants to show determination: While penalties for destroying or mutilating coins have been leniated, counterfeiting will be prosecuted with much more severity.
Read the whole article by Richard Giedroyc here.