Old Habits, they say, Die Hard.
The veracity of the old adage was again proved by the Prime Minister, when the journalists on board the special prime ministerial aircraft enroute to Russia to attend the SCO summit were shocked to see a meeting scheduled between the Prime Minister and Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Yekaterinberg, Russia.
Shocked because no mention of this tete-a-tete was made in the country prior to this press release on board the special aircraft.
The Prime Minister has ostensibly mastered this art of ‘Aircraft being Sovereign territory,’ fit to make announcements, which might have adverse political repercussions in the country. Remember the image of a combative Prime Minister when he took on the Comrades over the Nuclear Energy deal from the safe confines of his aircraft, enroute to Tokyo, only last year. So much so for political propriety and ethics. The fact that the institution of Parliament is dead and buried couldn’t have been emphasised any further. There was a time when major policy decisions were not taken without the approval or knowledge of the representatives of the people. But the fact that the Government is headed by a person who is not elected by the people, but selected by a family tells a story in itself.
So with the P.M’s aircraft and its relationship with Indian sovereignty, it would be advisable to close down the Parliament lock stock and barrel. It would save the Indian exchequer a lot off money. As it is the worthies do everything but formulate policy and combined with important decisions being taken by a family, and announced on aircrafts, who needs the parliament anyway!
Anyway the matter gets still interesting. After the usual introductions, and before the media personnel could be shooed away, the Prime Minster, quite uncharacteristically informed President Zardari, that he had come with a limited mandate of telling him to stop allowing terrorism against India to emanate from Pakistani territory. An embarrassed President Zardari had to literally plead to allow the Press personnel to leave before the conversation could begin. Point made, the media personnel were asked to leave before the talks could begin.
As expected, Pakistan has lodged a protest against this approach, calling it ‘unacceptable’.
Wonder who had authorised the P.M with this limited mandate? Not the people, we are sure, who have still not recovered from the ghastly images of 26/11. Will somebody ask the P.M to please clarify on this ‘mandate’ and more so on who authorised this meeting. Would this meeting have still been scheduled if 26/11 had claimed (God Forbid) the life of some V.I.P, and why was this meeting kept a secret from the people of this country?
Perhaps he might do it the next time he boards his aircraft for the next meeting with the Pakistanis which we are told is scheduled in mid July. I wonder what the response of the P.M will be around that time because rest assured that no efforts will be made to stop ‘emanation of terrorism’ from across the border. Pakistan will never change its policy of ‘bleeding India through a thousand cuts’.
Also rest assured that the so called leaders of the country will never stand up for the people of this country. For if that had been the intention, the P.M would have never resorted to deceit while meeting President Zardari. The message is loud and clear, ‘Let the Karkares, Amtes, Onkules and numerous others die, we will do what we please.’
Anyway, the result of the closed door meeting, which was the first taking place after the Mumbai 26/11 attack- The Foreign Secretaries of the two countries to begin ‘talks’ regarding steps to combat terrorism, further, these talks should not be construed as resumption of confidence building measures which have been suspended post 26/11.
Pray tell us, then what are they supposed to mean?
The role of American arm twisting is evident from the response of State department spokesman Ian Kelly, “A resumption of such high-level engagement in the aftermath of the November Mumbai attacks is encouraging. We have said before that India and Pakistan need to continue their dialogue to find joint solutions against terrorism and to promote regional stability."
Perhaps one day we will be strong enough to ‘encourage the Americans to forget 9/11 and initiate dialogue with theBin- Ladens and the Zawahiris!
The American policy subsequent to the elevation of Barack Obama as President has been quite clear, albeit it is not as clear to the mandarins in New Delhi. The Americans have outsourced the war in Afghanistan to the Pakistani army and is willing to go the whole hog in order to please the Generals. This is corroborated by the evidence adduced from the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and co-operation enhancement act 2009,(PEACE), which enhances the civilian aid to Pakistan to thrice its original figure. The U.S. senate has recently passed the Act after dropping all references to eliminating terrorism and nuclear non proliferation.
If this is not enough, sample the statement of US under secretary of state for political affairs, William Burns, who chose Delhi as the venue for a categorical message designed to please the Generals, when he said, "Any resolution of Kashmir has to take into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people".
Wonder whether the displaced Kashmiri Pandits are included in the ambit of the Kashmiri people.
Even given the chicanery of the Americans and their art of ‘Self First’concept, this is a new one.
The American game is out in the open. Only if the ‘Family’ and the ‘Rulers of the Aircraft’ had the eye to see it. The Americans cannot afford to let the body bags from Afghanistan keep coming as it has the potential of building up adverse public pressure in their country. The democracy in the U.S works at a different level than the Democracy in India you see! Therefore the war against the jihadis is outsourced to mother of all jihadis, the Pakistanis. The fact that jihad as a policy of state is an offspring of union between the U.S and the Pakistanis, to counter the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1980, ensures that the Pakistanis demand their share of the pie.
The share of the pie is uninhibited U.S military Aid, increased civilian Aid which naturally flows into the pocket of the Generals and the constant pressure on India through the façade of the K issue.
India on its part, plays the role of the poodle to perfection. A poodle who will bark a lot, but will never ever bite. So the P.M will berate President Zardari for public consumption but will immediately make up in another manner. Rest assured that the Confidence Building Measures will be initiated sooner than later, the Cricket team (whoever amongst them can walk after IPL) will tour Pakistan, Pakistani singers will come to India and talk of ‘tahjeeb’ and common culture, and we will be pals again.
Till another Mumbai happens.
The lack of a uniform national foreign policy free from external influence is hurting the country badly. But who cares? We keep on blowing hot and cold, but nothing more.
So Hafeez Saeed, chief of Jamaat-ud-dawah walks freely from a sham of a custody, apparently because the Pakistani government did not build up a strong case against him, with India protesting in a whimper. Notice the change from the time India demanded the extradition of Hafeez Saeed, post 26/11 to the time when his release raises no hackles in our country. A man with an avowed mission to finish off India and Indians, roams freely, while we announce a meeting with the President of Pakistan through an act of deceit, while flying around 30,000 feet in the air.
The opposition in the country is no less to blame for this. With all the infighting they hardly have the time to think of the nation. Or perhaps they realise that the issue of national interest or terrorism is not a vote catcher, as exhibited in this election, so they might start concentrating in spending a night in a poor man’s hut. Apparently, the ills in the poor man’s life vanishes after the great one spends a night in his cottage with his foreign friends. Since the great one has succeeded in the election, perhaps every leader worth his starched kurta will follow suit. That the poor remain as good or as bad after this act of benevolence is a trivial off course.
Let the Hafeez Saeeds of the world roam free!
Who bothers??
