Monday 18 August 2014

The Demise of “Biryani Diplomacy”

India has called off today the foreign secretary-level bilateral dialogue with Pakistan which was slated to be held on 25th August’2014, in a tough reaction to Islamabad’s decision to hold talks with Kashmiri separatist Hurriyat leaders which New Delhi described as an “unacceptable” interference in India’s internal affairs. This was after India firmly and unambiguous told Pakistan earlier that it has to choose between "India or Separatists" for talks and the decision as well as consequence was left to them.

This heralds the birth of a new Foreign Policy in India. This is a sharp departure from India’s past practice of either ignoring meetings between Pakistani officials and Hurriyat Conference leaders or issuing perfunctory objections. India has been tolerating Pakistan and its evil design for far too long with patience and magnanimity, which has been attacking and humiliating us at every opportunity. This approach has obviously not worked and our “generosity” has been mistaken as our “weakness”. For a long time, due to incessant appeasement policies of Indian Govt. under Congress rule, Pakistan was taking Indian Govt. and diplomacy for a ride and for granted. It became a ritual for Pakistan to humiliate India every time there was a move by Indian Govt for peace talks or any confidence building measures. Therefore, we only remember, Sharm-Al-Sheikh where then PM Manmohan Singh issued a joint statement in July’2009, merely 8 months after the 26/11 attack or  Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid  taking Pakistani PM Parvez Ashraf for lunch with Biryani, right after Pakistan beheaded our soldiers. Pakistan should now realize that this is a different India under Narendra Modi,  a Prime Minister, who is capable of answering them in equal measures and have closed all the “Aman Ki Asha” shops run by our “Peace Brigade” of corrupt and anti-national politicians, media and intellectuals.  Pakistan needs to realize that there is a severe price to be paid for the dangerous game it has been playing with us. This Indian Govt under Modi believes in giving befitting reply to Pakistan for all its misadventures.  Also, this Indian govt. doesn’t believe that if we pamper Pakistan with our acts of kindness, which we have been doing for last 68 years and indulge in our “Aman Ki Asha” projects, they will suddenly have this monumental change of heart and become our best friend & neighbour.  A policy of zero tolerance on border, terror and Kashmir should be followed.


The “Aman Ki Asha” brigade in India will now shout and scream that by this action Modi Govt has weakened the hands of democratically elected Nawaz Sharif Govt of  Pakistan and strengthened the hands of Pak army/ISI and the terrorists. But Modi Govt knows very well that the real defence and foreign policy of Pakistan including the final strategy and authority is a hostage of  Pak army & ISI and the diplomatic missions in India are nothing but ISI branches. However, India can’t be apologetic for their choices. If their army or ISI does not allow Nawaz Sharif to function in their true national interest, it is frankly their problem. We have been holding talks with Pakistan for so many years, but still there is no result and our citizens are getting killed by acts of Pakistan. Why? It shows that the leaders, whom we are talking to in Pakistan are either not serious in improving relations with India or are not capable or influential enough to convince the state of Pakistan to stop acts of terrorism. What is then the use of having talks with such powerless leaders who are not the real masters so far as Indo-Pak relations are concerned? Therefore, peace talk with Pakistan will go on without any result.  So India was wasting it’s time and resources and rather agree to peace talks only when all the three parties – Army/ISI, political leadership and terrorists - come together. Also, India should refuse talks with Pakistan on any issue, unless Pakistan declares and proves on the ground that it would stop terrorism as a state policy and stop using terrorists as strategic asset.  So far India was humiliated and it’s citizens suffered untold miseries  due to leadership paralysis and lacunae in decision making in our Govt.  But this Govt. has very strong and decisive leadership and it values the dignity, security and integrity of this nation above all.  Pakistan must realize the ramifications of crossing the line.

 
India needs to stop all the peace charades, confidence building measures, cultural, sporting, economic ties and stop deluding ourselves that we are not at war with Pakistan (which we are for the last 68 years). We must stop linking our actions against Pakistan to the sensitivities of Kashmiri separatists and their supporters and sympathisers in the rest of India. Anybody who is sympathetic to Pakistan or its actions can’t be a true Indian. We must also stop denying one of the fundamental truths of our relationship with Pakistan – the problem we are facing today is more a creation of our “inactions” of last 68 years, than the “actions” of Pakistan. Long-term actions are the need of the hour, without becoming hostage to “Vote Bank Politics” or “Aman Ki Asha”. It is a misconception that a “strong & stable” Pakistan is in our interest.   This artificially created state out of our own body with full of hatred for us and with an antithetical self-definition, has caused untold miseries for India as well as rest of the world. Such a state can never ever be either friendly or beneficial for India.  Our long term objective and interest is in the negation of this state for our own benefit and the benefit of a peaceful and civilized world order.

 

 

 

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