Some hatred is so deep that nothing can be done about it. The best we can do is an uneasy peace. That is the kind of hatred, which exists between Muslims - Jews and Muslims – Hindus. The sooner we understand that the faster we can settle things the best way we can and start the process of living. Unfortunately, it is the hubris of the politicians, which never allows peace the only way it can exist. Every American president tries to settle the Muslim-Jewish differences. Every one of them fails. The same syndrome ails Indian PMs as well. All of them including our Atalji have tried to settle issues with the Pakistanis and have fallen flat on their faces. Some things are not meant to be. We have written about the impossibility of peace with Pakistan on this blog many times and we refuse to waste any more real estate on it. What I want to talk about is what we should be doing and the alliances we should be building.
SAARC is a group, which consists of countries other than India and Pakistan, and yet at every meeting, the show is reduced to some weird faux cricket match between India and Pakistan. The misdirected Indian focus and the Pakistani anger reduces, what could be a great regional meeting of mutual benefits into a “Bandar ka naach”!
We know what the Pakistani approach to things is. They will cut their nose to spite their face. They do not want peace or trade that is why they always keep J&K ahead of all issues. Instead of traders from all the SAAARC nations talk to each other the Pakistanis insist on brining their thuggish military personnel. If only the traders were involved, we would have settled on some kind of peace by now. There is over a billion dollars worth of illegal trade between India and Pakistan and the material transported is not narcotic. All of it is consumables. A Pakistani friend confessed that he used to drive to Wagah border to buy Indian whiskey. If all that was made legal and easy, imagine the benefits on both sides not to mention peace. But that is not meant to be and we should accept it. Ignoring our co-hosts of the world cup at the expense on Pakistanis at the world cup was a terrible idea. As Mr. Parthasarthy says: Sheikh Hasina has extended a hand of friendship to us, proclaimed her country a secular republic, clamped down on extremist groups and handed over separatist leaders from our North-East who were hosted and feted by her predecessor. Wanted ULFA leader Paresh Baruah, earlier feted by Bangladesh and Pakistan, now hides along the borders of Myanmar and China, enjoying Chinese patronage…… The World Cup inauguration was an ideal event for India to show its solidarity with, and empathy for, Bangladesh with our Prime Minister sharing the dais with Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. Astonishingly, in a manifestation of callous diplomatic indifference and insensitivity, New Delhi chose not to send either a high-level goodwill delegation or, more appropriately, sponsor a goodwill visit to Dhaka by the Prime Minister for the event. Similar indifference and lack of imagination was shown towards Sri Lanka where cricketing legend Muthiah Muralitharan, whose contribution to the cricketing glory of his country were personally lauded by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was playing his last World Cup.
In other words, to hell with the Pakistanis. Instead we should focus on the other SAARC countries. We need to mend fences with Sri Lanka because Sri Lank has never ever posed a threat to our national security. Moreover the Chinese are helping them build a port at Hambantota as part of their evil designs to put a chokehold on us. We need to help the Sri Lankans improve their economy so we can offset the Chinese impact. We need to do the same with Nepal where the Maoists have ruined what used to be a reasonable good friendship. We cannot surrender our influence in Nepal to the insidious Chinese. We should exclude the Pakistanis from a free trade zone comprising of the rest of SAARC nations. It will be a win –win deal for all. That will also send a strong message to the Pakistanis.
We also need to be looking after our considerable investment in Afghanistan. Due to the obstreperous behavior of Pakistan in the SW Afghanistan that we and the rest of the world will have to write that area off as a loss. We need to rebuild out alliances with the Northern tribes as it used to be. Maybe bring the Iranians on the same page who do not want a virulent Sunni gang-up on their eastern border.
As the always clear and passionate, Mr N V Subramanian writes: It's Afghanistan in the middle-term that worries this writer. No Northern Alliance appears on the horizon to resist the Taliban/ Al-Qaeda and to contain the Afghan crisis within Afghanistan. The Russians appear in no hurry to back a second Northern Alliance partly because India has shown no eagerness. The Iranians who form the third leg of support for the Northern Alliance are similarly unsure about India in view of its dalliance with the US at its cost. Iran cannot have a Sunni Taliban/ Al-Qaeda regime in Afghanistan or one that is aggressive. So in tandem with blocking all dialogue with Pakistan (unless it hangs the 26/ 11 organizers), India has to set up a closed-door meeting with Russia and Iran on Afghanistan.
In short, our current Pakistan-centric approach to foreign policy is an obsession of the PM who has lost all credibility and he needs to be stopped before he forces us to make concessions to Pakistanis for that mirage like peace. Concessions which may become yet another foreign policy blunder which we will regret later.
Mr. Parthasarthy's article can be read at: http://dailypioneer.com/331511/Bogus-cricket-diplomacy.html
Mr. Subramanian's article can be read at: http://newsinsight.net/archivedebates/nat2.asp?recno=2129
The picture is from: http://newshopper.sulekha.com/yusuf-raza-gilani-manmohan-singh_photo_1289438.htm
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm war peace
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