Priti Prakash
India's foreign policy as regards its neighbours has generally been of either appeasment or 'wait and watch'. After the attack on Parliament in 2001 Atalji kept saying during Op Parakram that this would be 'aar ya paar ke ladaye'. But we did not seem be having the cheek to take them head on (whatever the reason may be) inspite of the fact that our armed forces were absolutely ready to launch a major offensive on Pakistan in a matter of minutes at the 'go ahead' signal of their political bosses. But we returned back from the borders after so much heat generated there. Was that the opportune moment to teach Pakistan a lesson or we will be still waiting for some much bigger disaster to happen blatently hurting the soverignity of our nation to give them a retaliatory befitting reply.
Over a perid of last few months Pakistan has again hurt the soul of India by involving themselves into brutal inhuman acts like beheading our soldiers at the border, latest being the Sarabjit killing that was so consentiously carried out in Pakistani jail in a caliberated way with the connivance of the authorities. Pakistan has been often practising such attrocities time and again sending the message that they have no qualms as regards anything with India.
For Government of India Sarabjit was no issue. It was the media hysteria that forced them to give statements to appear concerned and finally to show that such bestiality will not be tolerated and so was the duty done. Sikh community for themselves declared Sarabjit a martyr. Govt of India too quickly announced a huge sum of money to the berieved family to assauge the Sikh anger. The Pakistanis had pledged Sarabjit's end in retaliation of Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru. Alas! we could not do much to save an Indian prisoners life in Pakistani jails. Because everything at the government doorstep takes its own sweet time and diplomatic action take longer time where anybody's life does not matter.
Sarabjit may not be a martyr but his was surely a citizen's sacrifice in the enemy nations at the alter of our diplomatic sluggishness. It is a lesson for all those who stray into another country accidently, purposely or in an inebriate condition. Pakistan too has understood how hollow we are in our seriousness of taking rightful and strong action. I have often heard Pakistani intelligence officers, Generals and diplmats saying on TV debates that if India has guts why doesn't it do something, why just keep harping we will do it, we can do it? The world knows that Pakistan is a rogue state. It is reeling under its ow state spobnsered terrorism where every other day someone or the other is kidnapped, tortured and slain. They do not even spare their women folk and children. Remember Malala Yousufzai!
Another neighbour is China. The latest incident of Chinese incursion similarly ( remember Kargil by Pakistan) and naturally was a huge concern for the people of India, god knows if the political class at all took it seriously as according to them it was a 'territorial issue', or at the most it was an 'acne on the face' and so on. If matters of the ever contentious boundary issues between two Asian superpowers are just like acnes on the face then I think we are waiting for some major accession or incident of distruct to happen to wake up and think. Too many acnes on the face will disfigure it, Mr Minister.
The inaction frustrates the people but the politicians get away with it very easily. China pitched 5 tents with 30 soldiers and a dog too. It took us at the best 20 days to negotiate and finally push them to the April 15 position. Nothing happens as it appears on the face? What deal must have struck? They say nothing at all just the reasonable one of pulling back to our usual postions. We come to know the next day that we too were told to retreat from Chumar sector. Masters at playing it down, our minister said it was a tin shed that we were asked to remove after which China too retrieved. But surely it could not have been that simple. China is a huge superpower and here too we know we cannot take 'pangaz' with them. A general feeling permeats that India is scared of China and follows the policy of appeasement with them. History has examples enough. Dragon is proving bigger than the tiger.
We need to be cautious and prepared for engagements of rather unpleasant nature. China India relations have had some positive leanings since some time. Leadership changes have worked for better in terms of trade and deliverance but borders between us have always been the bone of contention. Afterall can China be trusted? In the case of Depsang Oldie India was complacent in the face of the growing threat from the Chinese and had no idea about the enormity of China's military preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). As we raised objections to their occupancy of Depsang they kept saying obdurantly that they will not go back, it was their land. We are perpetually in a state of dillydallying.
We have more often than not displayed a tendency to play down the Chinese incursions whether Ladakh or Arunachal. The government of the day often portrays as if nothing serious has happened and people in the mainland do not have any knowledge about the sector or the enormity of the situation.
Here is a 'trust'.....then 'wait and watch' and then 'act' situation that lands us into a crisis that we then struggle to solve. Hope we are not waiting for another incursion to learn another lesson like 62'. Quite possible.
