Our Zero Tolerance PM

Clearly, India has succumbed

;Raju Santharam
Does India have a consistent, time-tested foreign policy that is capable of imparting a certain distinctive status to the country?
When it comes to Pakistan, it seems to be all bluff and bluster. How else does one explain India re-entering the dialogue process with Pakistan, a process initiated by the Prime Minister and followed up with talks at the level of foreign secretaries. It was not very long ago ~ actually just a couple of days ago ~ that foreign minister Mr SM Krishna was harping on the now familiar demand that there should be credible evidence of Pakistan's intention to act. His predecessor had been firmer ~ there would be no talks unless terror structures in Pakistan were dismantled.
With the Manmohan Singh-Gilani talks in Egypt, India has moved from its stance of "no action, no talks" to "talks regardless of action on terrorism". Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has in fact claimed a diplomatic victory and said there is no link between composite dialogue and Pakistani efforts to go after the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is perhaps the lack of a consistency that has created the perception that India ~ despite its efforts at emerging as a global economic power ~ has only a Pakistan-centric foreign policy. If Pakistan yells Kashmir, India screams terrorism.
It is therefore not surprising, that when it comes to the crunch, India and Pakistan are looked upon as two squabbling foes causing unease in South Asia. No less surprising is the simplistic antidote to the growth of terrorism in South Asia ~ if India and Pakistan mended their fences over Kashmir there would be a considerable scale-down in terrorism. For most part of the Bush administration, Indian officials were happy that pressure was being brought on Pakistan. But the brazen Mumbai attacks changed everything. After 26/11 the stand was that India would not talk to Pakistan till such time that credible steps were taken to dismantle the terror structure. Nothing publicly has been done by Pakistan to even remotely ensure this.
On the contrary, thanks to poor handling of the case by the prosecution, Hafez Saeed, the 26/11 conspirator, has been released. What then accounts for the fact that the Prime Minister spent forty minutes with President Zardari in Russia and later had an hour long, one-on-one chat with Mr Gilani in Egypt?
Clearly it is US pressure on India that prompted the meetings. In fact there is already a timeline fixed for the next meeting of the foreign secretaries in July. Would India by then have enough evidence of Pakistan dismantling the terror mechanism? If not, then does India plan to cancel the July talks? Apparently not. Clearly, India has succumbed. On the other hand Pakistan has always been able to shape its policy to achieve its own limited ends. And the USA ~ for its own reasons ~ has thought it fit to waltz with Pakistan. General Musharraf in one of his nationwide

Our impotent zero tolerance Prime Minister has again succumbed to pressure and started talking to Pakistan without any noticeable action being taken by Pakistan on the terror bases exisiting there.
The only action Pakistan have taken is to put up such a weak case against Saeed, that he has been let off by the court.
When Gilani says he will do his best, we have seen what was his best and yet we have agreed to talk to them.
The next demand by Pakistan will be to restore the criketing ties as that is hurting them most as they have been made pariahs in their own by the world cricketing.
community.
And you can expect our zero tolerance PM to retore the ties.
After he considers himself a Statesman and would like to keep himself in the running for the next Nobel Peace Prize.
And the USA will surely back him and Gilani.