CHALLENGES TO INDIA'S FOREIGN POLICY FROM PAKISTAN-CHINA NEXUS

Mukesh Devrari

USA

The India-USA relationship is the most important relationship of the century. It was the claim of the Obama administration. No doubt, India can accrue trade, technology and many other benefits from cooperating and collaborating with the world’s largest economy. Both the nations also share some common values like open society, liberalism and democracy. So, better relations with the USA are highly desirable.

There is convergence on plenty of issues, but there are also lot divergences on certain issues. USA still in a very subtle manner tries to contain India by cooperating with Pakistan and not extending support to India on some major issues like Kashmir conflict. Devyani Khobragade incident in New York is reminder of the fact how USA diplomats still look at India with contempt.

US claims that India has stake in containing China, but India must not support the containment of China whole heartedly. We must not indulge in pursuing a policy of spreading perpetual animosity against China. Covertly India can be a part of Western alliance which will be pursuing the policy of containment of China in the coming years vigorously, but we must not do that overtly.   

Russia

Russia is an old friend. It is weak, no longer a superpower, but it is not to be written off yet. It is a special and privileged partnership. India and Russia has close congruence on geopolitical issue. India must not forget old friends. BHEL, ONGC, Heavy Engineering Corporation and many other remarkable institutions were established in India with the help of the former USSR.

Russia gave us political and economic support at the time of need and provided military hardware including nuclear submarines and aircraft careers. Other world’s biggest arm sellers don’t even allow others to sniff at the nuclear submarine, forget transfer of technology and sale. India must remain grateful and reciprocate, but more than ideology and sentiments. It must be a relationship of mutual interest. India and Russia must cooperate more on energy and trade. There should be more and more people to people contacts with Russia which are missing presently.

Challenges to India

Pakistan

Pakistan poses a problem because of its military- nuclear capabilities and its alliance with China and Saudi Arabia. It is a state created by section of people in India who felt that they could not live in peace with majority community. They still have the mentality of invaders. Just look at the names of Pakistani missiles Babar, Ghazni and Abdali etc. All these are invaders who invaded what today is called as Pakistan. These invaders ruled India for 800 years. Now the mindset is changing gradually in Pakistan but not sufficiently.  

In India the situation is just the opposite. It seems every Indian Prime Minister wanted to win noble peace price. Indira Gandhi could have solved Kashmir problem but she was not harsh enough on Pakistan to convert LOC into international border after winning 1971 war. Shastri gave away Hazi peer pas, Indira Kumar Gujral has ‘Jhappi diplomacy’. Vajpayee also wanted to be peacemaker.

It reinforced Pakistani view that India is weak. India must have a handshake with one hand but must carry a stick on the other hand. Some people in Pakistan has realized the danger to them is from within not from outside. How can India have a better relation with a country, which actively tries to undermine it, weaken it and split it? India must try to strike a bargain with Pakistan. They must not be allowed to strike our interests. In return, India must give benefits and assistance.

India must use the leverage of water to pressurize Pakistan to remain sensitive to Indian interests. We must try to renegotiate the Indus water treaty. Every party in J&K says we got the bad deal. India must build hydroelectric power plans on all the six rivers originating from Jammu and Kashmir for the development of people of the state. Local people will get jobs in those projects and state will get revenue. It will also create rift between Kashmir and Pakistan that will be in the interest of India. Diplomats have advised government of India in the past to stop flow of water to Pakistan but political executive rejects it as too controversial. 

 

Small issues and irritants must be eradicated to maintain cordial and friendly relations with all our neighbours. India must think big. There is this stupid debate about constructing the Setusamudram project. It is nonsense. India must construct a direct bridge between Sri Lanka and India.

China

Another big challenge for India is China. India must work together with China. So far India does not have any reason to trust China, but we must not remain perpetually hostile to China. We don’t have the infrastructure in northeastern states to counter aggressive Chinese posturing. We must build it on a priority basis. China says its boundary with India is only 2000 km. They don’t count their boundary with India in Kashmir, as they don’t recognize it as part of India.

India must tell them. No problem. Indian Kashmir has a border with Xinjiang province. We also don’t recognize it as part of China. It must be noted here the Muslims in Xinjiang province of China wants to succession mainland. Chinese claims on Arunachal Pradesh are based on Tibet’s historic links with monasteries based in Tawang region. It is a nonsensical claim.  

Kailash Mansarovar is a part of Tibet. It has similar importance for Hindus and a site of pilgrimage since ages. It does not mean India can claim it as its own. India must prepare itself for post Dalai Lama situation in Tibet. It must tell China to make a conducive atmosphere for Tibetan refugees to return. More than 1 billion people are dependent on water of rivers originating from Tibet. China must respect the rights of lower riparian nations to have access to water of rivers originating from Tibet plateau.

Every country must expand his or her claims beyond the original ones to settle ultimately for the acceptable reality. Border issue with China cannot be resolved quickly. We must create borderless zones and make trade and people to people contacts easier. We have to deal with China at the psychological level also. Once Mao said to an Indian diplomat (K.M. Pannickar), “It is believed in China that one who lives a virtuous life takes birth in India.”

Comment

We must not overestimate our power and influence. Most of our population still defecate in open. India is a very poor country. It is important for us to accommodate the concerns of China. In the future as the gap between Indian and Chinese capabilities increases, it will become difficult for us to tackle their aggressive posturing.  

Pakistan is still a tough nut to crack, but Indians must not hate Pakistan. In the coming decades as science progresses humanity will understand the futility of religion and then perhaps the influence of religion in discourses across the globe may reduce. It is not correct to view India-Pakistan relations from the narrow perspective of religious animosity between Hindus and Muslims. No matter what Pakistan does India must not indulge in a proxy war. It must not fund lumpen elements in Pakistan to create mayhem there.   

In a lighter vein this author must add women in Pakistan are very beautiful. Khuswant Singh once made this observation. How can Indians be so cruel to hate them? If Indians consider themselves true inheritors of Gandhian philosophy, then we must avoid unscrupulous diplomacy. No matter what are the losses.       

end.