Sudden surge of cumulative actions across our Western border
has become cause of serious concern and outrage. For the past months, the
sequence of events has resulted in blowing off the lid of belligerency of our
western neighbour Pakistan. In the latest development in the last fortnight,
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the master conspirator of 26/11 from the Rawalpindi’s
Adayala Jail was released on bail in spite of his reputation as one of the most
dreadful terrorists of the South Asia. Also, the brazenness and temerity of the
Pakistani High Commissioner in holding series of meetings with the Hurriyat
leaders under India’s nose despite India expressing severe reservations for any
such negotiations challenge India’s incoherent foreign policy towards Pakistan.
While the arrest of Lakhvi the commander of LeT (Laskhar E
Toiba) has been a part of the high-handed drama staged by Pakistan to assert
the World and to please its western master that it is hard on terror, it is
very clear that Pakistan will never act against its self-groomed and patronised
hard core militant. India should read between the lines and change its
strategy. Though India handed over enough evidence in form of dossiers to nail down
the conspirator of the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan always defended that the
evidence is inconclusive and insufficient. It will be a futile exercise on part
of India to keep pursuing Lakhvi’s bail with Pakistan who treated LeT commander
as a state guest in Jail.
Frustrated by recalcitrance of Pakistan India always took an
umbrage under suspension of talks with Pakistan as a knee-jerk political
reaction. Instead, India should adopt the long standing Chinese strategy of
holding prolific and perpetual border talks, which it has been continuing for
the past 30 years. Unfailingly, India should disappoint Pakistan by
persistently engaging in border talks. This way India can project its
unflinching faith and commitment in resolving the border issue peacefully to the
International community. The talks between both the nations from the past six
decades didn’t entail substantial gains as Pakistan is not ready not part with
even an inch of territory. It is an open secret that Pakistan never willed or
even showed signs of containing its state-sponsored terrorism which has become
its national tenet. Thus India without
conceding much to Pakistan during talks can win brownie points.
Recently the Pakistani government received a bounty from the
US whose President on his bilateral visit to India expressed concern over
inaction of Pakistan towards the growing terrorism in South Asia. The
benevolent gift from the Western master in the form in the sophisticated arms
and weapons were disbursed to the country under the banner of arming the
soldiers of Pakistan to support its counterterrorism and counter-insurgency
operations. In spite of the growing clout against the nation as the hub of
terrorism it is distressing as how the US is deliberately committed to arm the
nation. Since the year 2000, portraying themselves as victims of terrorism,
Pakistan suckered $31 billion from the US.
The list of the covert Pakistani actions aimed at
destabilising India understates it ideology of death by a thousand cuts. Some
of its covert operations include the Khalistani terrorism patronised in Punjab
from across the border 30 years ago followed by igniting separatist movement in
Jammu and Kashmir. Immediately after the partition Pakistan commenced its
clandestine military operations in the form a tribal raid initially in 1947.
These were followed by three conventional wars. In a move to destabilise India
it supported every form of separatist movement in the North-East Region as
well. Pakistan has never left any stone unturned to foment trouble in India. Unfortunately the monster of the Pakistan
state-sponsored terrorism spread its tentacles in different parts of country.
The movement rapidly gained momentum by targeting and recruiting India
youth. The Pakistani jihad had thus
spread a reign of terror across India resulting in several fatalities outside
J&K in various terrorist attacks. Pakistan over the past few decades
inflicted tremendous harm on India. It has successfully created a reign of
terror in India by periodic terrorist attacks across various cities in India.
The economic damage, in terms of maintaining Special Forces to monitor,
mitigate and effectively tackle terrorist activities is incalculable. Even the
colossal loss of human lives lost due to this sustained violence is
demoralising.
Pakistan has been persistently amplifying its hatred towards
India as its sustained national project the lack of strategic coherent policy
towards Pakistan by the successive regimes in India has augmented proliferation
of terrorism in India.
But unlike Pakistan which is steadily heading towards the
path of ruination India in spite of its vulnerabilities and lack of strong
leadership continued to flourish. Pakistan has been fostering sectarian
violence and flushing jihadis into Afghanistan and India for several decades.
Subsequently it was conjured up by the growing conflagration of uncontrolled
extremist Islamic terrorism. Every state institution in the country is trapped
by the corrosive Islamist terrorism and the venom of the extremism is now
poisoning its own roots threatening the very existence of the state itself.
Ajai Sahni, a counter- terrorism expert in his paper: Counter Terrorism: The
core issue in Pakistan indicated that “if India can hold onto Jammu and Kashmir
operation for another 15-20 years, Pakistan will eventually destroy itself
without India doing anything substantial to secure this end”.
BJP has made a great beginning in this regard by performing
extremely well in the assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir. It displayed
stupendous determination and commitment to salvage the state by extending a
friendly hand to the pro-Pakistani PDP party and became a coalition partner in
the state administration. During the initial days of government formation,
BJP’s sentiments and its nationalistic credentials were severely rebuked due to
the release of Masrat Alam, a hard-core separatist leader. Modi in his
parliamentary address silenced the opposition by promising stern against the separatists.
But massive controversy broke few days back when Masrat Alam commanded a huge rally
in Srinagar where separatist leaders hoisted Pakistan flag and raising
pro-Pakistan slogans. The central home minister immediately issued a stern
warning to the PDP to arrest the separatist leader. Within two days he was
arrested and the situation was brought under control. The pro-Pakistan slogan
in the valley is music to Pakistan government. But the centre quickly dashed
its hopes by scuttling the separatist movement.
Tough days are ahead for the Indian leadership with Pakistan
gearing up the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping who has vouched to stand
by its strong-ally and partner of all times who promised investments worth $46
billion. The visit will finalise the long pending sale of 8 submarines to
Pakistan. In turn Pakistan as token of friendship has offered China 40-year
rights to run its strategic Gwadar port. Gwadar port is located at the mouth of
the Persian Gulf is the gateway for 20% of the World’s oil. By gaining
operating rights Chinese oil imports can bypass the Straits of Malacca between
Malaysia and Indonesia which risks blockade during wartimes, gain access to
Gulf countries and can possibly built a naval base in the strategic Arabic sea.
China is also planning to build an economic corridor connecting Gwadar to Xinjiang
province to transport oil and gas.
To reinstate India’s resolve to strengthen friendly ties with
the neighbouring nations the foreign secretary of India recently embarked on a
SAARC yatra. But India’s positivity is responded with alarming hostility. Under
these circumstances India has to inevitably evolve a strategic and coherent
foreign policy towards Pakistan to stem the growing clout of terrorism.
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