India's pro-US tilt fails to yield results
The change in the foreign policy paradigm effected the BJP government
failed to open up dream vistas in India-US relations, says Venkat Parsa
New Delhi, November 11
The Vajpayee Government for three years had carefully nurtured and put in place a vastly changed foreign policy, with a well-pronounced and pointed pro-United States tilt, in a bid to demonstrate that it holds out promise for opening up of newer vistas for India.
Three years down the line, Prime Minister Vajpayee presents a mute picture of a failed foreign policy initiative as the US and Pakistan cosied up for a renewed alliance, which could adversely impact India. The billion-dollar aid announced by US President George W Bush comes in addition to debt relief and financial assistance to Pakistan announced in the last few weeks, as a reward for Pakistan, which has been identified as sponsor of cross-border terrorism in India.
Bush has also declared that Pakistan's efforts in the US-led war on terrorism were bringing the nation back into the global fold. "Pakistan's efforts against terror are benefiting the entire world and linking Pakistan more closely with the world," Bush said at the joint news conference. He had even offered to bring India and Pakistan together for "good and meaningful" talks on Kashmir - taking into account the "wishes of the people" of the State - toeing the line proffered by Pakistan all along, which was rejected out of hand by India as untenable and unacceptable.
Bush also confirmed that he would extend support to enable Pakistan to respond to the economic challenges it confronts, and additionally he undertook to consider ways to respond to its market access expectations.
The initial gung-ho mood of the Vajpayee establishment over the diplomatic initiatives and the rich dividends flowing from it may now give way for greater introspection. As Vajpayee returns to India and Parliament meets next week, the issue of foreign policy management and the diplomatic initiatives could come in for scrutiny.
Bush's meeting with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf came a day after summit talks between Bush and Vajpayee at the White House in Washington on Friday. A joint statement on the first Bush-Musharraf talks issued shortly thereafter went a step further and referred to the two leaders agreeing that "India and Pakistan should resolve the Kashmir issue through diplomacy and dialogue in mutually acceptable ways that take into account the wishes of the people of Kashmir."
Initially the Bharatiya Jan Sangh's, and later the Bharatiya Janata Party's, dream of making India a satellite of the United States was the driving force behind the Vajpayee Government changing the foreign policy paradigm. It gave a go-by to the Non-Alignment concept, for long the corner-stone of the Indian foreign policy, and gave it a pro-US tilt.
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh has been actively pursuing the line. The record round of talks that Singh had with his junior in status, the erstwhile US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott was only preparatory in nature. Finally, the much-touted tilt came about imperceptibly. Only, the dream vistas never opened up for India.
Musharraf, on his US visit, basked under the lavish praise being heaped on him by Bush, after joining the US-led war against Afghanistan. Bush described Musharraf a "strong leader" and Islamabad a "strong ally" after the dinner meeting in New York on Saturday. |
