A passive policy towards Pakistan is counterproductive
August 20th, 2010 - 8:12 pm ICT by ANI
New Delhi, Aug.20 (ANI): Pakistan, like any other country has to deal with a dynamic environment. Today it has to contend with an unstable political spectrum and complex economic issues like the looming debt trap. Keen to project itself internationally as a victim of terrorism, it is engaged in the flagging war against terror.
To add to the problems, it has had to face natural disasters like the recent devastating floods. Amidst all this, one activity that remains constant for the country is its anti-India attitude, which is nurtured most assiduously by the Pakistani Army, the ISI and government of Pakistan in the given order of priority.
The country is trying to deal with a natural disaster of unprecedented magnitude. There are people dead and dying due to lack of adequate infrastructure and means to deal with the calamity. India has been standing on the margin with an aid package and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been making repeated appeals to the Pakistan government to accept the same.
Pakistan was ‘considering’ for many days whether to accept India’s assistance. To add salt to injury the Pakistani Army resumed violation of ceasefire along the Line of Control with the intention of assisting terrorist groups engaged in infiltration into India.
The August 19 ceasefire violation which coincided with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s appeal to his Pakistani counterpart to accept Indian aid for the flood victims witnessed mortar and rocket fire directly at Indian positions on the Line of Control at Nangi Tekri in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district.
At a conservative estimate this is the tenth recorded ceasefire violation this year. India has already lodged two protests with the Pakistan High Commission in this regard this year - one on January 22 and the second on July 18.
There have been more than 20 foiled infiltration bids this year, Defence Minister A K Antony has disclosed that from January to June this year 255 terrorists have attempted to infiltrate into India.
Intelligence inputs indicate that the latest strategy of the Inter Services Intelligence is to keep the Kashmir issue alive by combining infiltration attempts with unleashing of civil unrest, so as to keep the pot boiling. Whether it is a coincidence or otherwise, this policy was at its peak when India was attempting diplomatic parleys with Pakistan.
The embarrassment Indian Foreign Minister Krishna had to face during his visit to Pakistan in July this year is well recorded. That apart, while these parleys at different levels were going on, unrest in Kashmir and infiltration attempts and cease-fire violations were happening with regularity.
One cannot fault the good intentions of our Prime Minister in offering aid for the flood-affected people of Pakistan. As a neighbour, India was spontaneous in extending assistance to humanity afflicted by calamity.
True, it is our moral duty to come to the aid of the Pakistani people in their hour of suffering. But the belligerent attitude of the leaders of Pakistan hurts.
The devastation of the Axis powers, mainly Germany and Japan, was carried out by the European and American powers during the World War was carried out on the basis of the policy - “when you have an unrelenting enemy in your backyard crush him completely in the shortest possible period of time so that peace can maintained in the long run”.
There are many in India who feels that we may bleed for the poor and downtrodden in Pakistan but we are, by no means, helping them with our passive and dovish approach. In the face of our passivity, they are being made to suffer by their leaders who keep raising the anti-India bogey for personal gains.
While bending backwards and extending aid, should we be passive? (ANI)
Pl. Note: The views expressed in the above article are that of the author
- 'Kashmir counter-insurgency operations in more difficult phase' - Jan 10, 2012
- ISI has reactivated terror camps in Pakistani Kashmir: India - Aug 09, 2011
- Pakistan Army continues ceasefire violations in Jammu region - Aug 27, 2010
- Defence secretary visits LOC in Kashmir - Sep 05, 2011
- Manmohan calls up Gilani, renews flood aid offer (Lead) - Aug 19, 2010
- India routing flood aid to Pakistan through UN - Aug 30, 2010
- Firing from Pakistan kills two Kashmiri civilians (Lead) - Jun 20, 2010
- 450 terrorists waiting to enter India, says army - Oct 25, 2010
- Pakistani troops violate ceasefire in Kashmir - Dec 29, 2010
- EU likely to offer trade-linked aid to Pakistan - Sep 12, 2010
- Pakistani troops violate ceasefire at six places - Jul 16, 2010
- Pakistani troops target Indian border posts - Jan 05, 2012
- Pakistan floods: Manmohan calls up Gilani, renews aid offer - Aug 19, 2010
- Pakistan's acceptance of Indian aid cautiously welcomed - Aug 20, 2010
- Pakistani troops violate LoC five times - Aug 10, 2011
Tags: adequate infrastructure, conservative estimate, debt trap, dynamic environment, flood victims, ghati, government of pakistan, manmohan singh, natural disaster, natural disasters, pakistan government, pakistan high commission, pakistani army, political spectrum, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, rocket fire, unprecedented magnitude, war against terror, year one