Keep the diplomatic door open

Published : Dec 06, 2002 00:00 IST

DETERMINISTIC rigidity in diplomacy is showing India in poor light. The Vajpayee government has no coherent or well-thought-through Pakistan policy. The monotonous mantra - no dialogue till cross-border terrorism stops - is becoming counter-productive. It now makes no sense to keep our High Commissioner's post in Islamabad vacant. It makes no sense not to resume bus, rail and air services between the two countries. It made no sense to have kept have-a-million troops on the Indo-Pakistan border for over six months. What was the objective? What was gained?

Let us record a bit of recent history. Prime Minister Vajpayee went to Lahore in a bus in February 1999. Cross-border terrorism was unabated. Actually, Pakistan had at the time occupied our bunkers on the heights of Kargil.

Again, when the Prime Minister suddenly changed course to invite to Agra the President of Pakistan, cross-border terrorism was a regular feature and our people were being killed. Thus, this particular policy of the government becomes untenable. Why this obduracy?

There exist any number of examples of when countries at war were conducting negotiations. Vietnam is the most striking example. The diplomatic door should never be completely shut. Hence, the sooner the government wakes up to the reality the better. The start can be made at the Joint-Secretary level. War, as of now, is ruled out. So, when will normalisation of relations begin? Indo-Pakistan relations are accident-prone, that we all know, but it is folly to keep tension a permanent feature of our Pakistan policy.

Jaswant and Yashwant have swapped jobs. The former departed from South Block unsung and unwept. The thoughtless and ill-conceived pronouncements he made on foreign policy made little sense. Diplomacy by dilettantism is a sure recipe for disaster. Even now he does not refrain from gaffes on foreign policy. Some weeks ago he was in Washington, where he turned a photo opportunity into a discourse on `pre-emptive strike' to please and appease his American hosts. In his Katari Memorial lecture he asserted that war between Iraq and the U.S. was inevitable. So, at least the press reported. A period of silence on the part of the former External Affairs Minister would be most welcome. Yashwant Sinha has not so far shot himself in the foot. He is a steady individual and has begun well. Subtle changes he has made, both in foreign policy and in diplomacy. Above all, in his priorities. From my former colleagues in the I.F.S., I hear laudatory words about their new Minister.

THE Prime Minister, in spite of his health, has done well to have paid visits to Cambodia and Laos. No Prime Minister since 1954 has made a journey to these Buddhist Indo-China states. Indo-China is not just a geographical expression. It signifies that two great civilisations meet there. Cambodia passed through hell for almost a decade. Pol Pot killed almost two million of his compatriots. In the gallery of 20th century monsters he has a high place. He is dead and gone. Good riddance to cruel rubbish.

Next to President Castro, King Norodom Sihanouk is the great survivor. He is the only Head of State alive who was present at the Bandung Conference in April 1955. He has been in and out of his throne several times. He is an immensely engaging individual and irrepressible. I had much to do with him between 1987 and 1989. We were together in Paris for a month in July-August 1989 for the conference on Cambodia. The Foreign Ministers of the U.S.A, the U.K., France, China and the USSR were also present. It took another five years to unravel the Cambodian jigsaw. Sihanouk was a key element.

Prince Sihanouk first visited India in mid-1955 after the Bandung Conference. I was attached as Liaison Officer to him. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was at Palam airport to receive the young prince. We soon spotted his aircraft and the control tower confirmed it. However, to our surprise, the plane did not land but kept circling over Delhi. The mystery was solved when finally the Cambodian plane landed. Pandit Nehru asked His Royal Highness why his plane did not land straight away. The answer was memorable. The pilot was French and the aviation map he was using was printed in 1936. It showed only Willingdon (now Safdarjung) airport. Palam was not marked. That was not all. The Prince had brought with him five Buddhist monks. We too had brought a matching number of monks. Both sides conversed in Pali. Our monks asked the Cambodian what their dietary preferences were. The answer was that beef would do. Our monks nearly passed out.

In Cambodia there stands one of the sublime creations of man - the Angkor Vat. It was built by Hindu artisans and craftsmen in the 12th century. No one knows their names but their architectural and artistic genius has defined time and depredation. Even Pol Pot could not destroy the Angkor Vat. When I first set eyes on the Angkor Vat, I was dazed and amazed. On long stone walls were carved the two great Hindu epics. Flawless and breathtaking. These had a lightness of touch which made them exception. The Angkor Vat is the largest temple and later a statue of Buddha was placed in the main central temple. Parts of the complex were damaged. I did my little bit by sending a team from New Delhi to restore and repair some of the damage.

I HAVE been following keenly the talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. These have revived hope in an eventual settlement. I know both the interlocutors well - Minister Peiris and Balasingham. The main problem for India remains, Mr. V. Prabhakaran. After 11th September 2001, arms and funds to the LTTE have dried up and that has compelled the LTTE to come to the conference table. Whatever else happens, extradition of the LTTE supremo remains a top priority for India. We all wish these negotiations success. For far too long Sri Lanka has suffered. But the legitimate rights of the Sri Lankan Tamils cannot be ignored. India cannot be indifferent to what happens in Sri Lanka. People need to be reminded that it was Rajiv Gandhi who ensured the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka by putting his foot down against Eelam.

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