US-Iran nuclear talks

The most crucial talks between P5+1 and Iran scheduled October 1st,2009 over the latter’s uranium enrichment issue that if amicably resolved could have the potential of restoring US-Iran relations with mutual trust besides having salutary effect in areas comprising Afghanistan and Mid-east, will be watched with great interest. More so, when Obama during his race to the presidency had famously pronounced that he would be willing to hold direct talk, without preconditions ,with the President of Iran.The issue centers around US and big powers asking Iran to abandon its “undeniable legal and definitive rights to enrich uranium” since specified quantities of such enriched uranium could be (and are suspected by them as) connected to nuclear weaponisation program that endangers the security of US and its European allies, as Iran is also suspected to be pursuing a program of acquiring long range ballistic missiles.Iran has adamantly refused to abandon its right to uranium enrichment persistently declaring that the said program is solely connected to the country’s dedication to its civilian development efforts.Numerous economic sanctions imposed on Iran have thus failed to deter it on its course and the issue remained unresolved . Now prior to the current scheduled talks to be held on October 1,2009, Iran has firmly ruled out any negotiations over its nuclear rights and has instead handed over a five page proposal to the big powers showing Tehran’s willingness to discuss global nuclear disarmament as well as other international issues to resolve economic and security issues so as to bring in the much needed element of trust. Though US has agreed reluctantly to bring in the issues raised by Iran in the impending talks ,with White house spokesman Robert Gibbs stating that “this may not have been a topic that they (US) wanted to be brought up but I can assure that it is a topic that we will bring up”.Thus the matter boils down to spreading environment of trust and cooperation with each side willing and ready to recognize and accommodate each other policy goals.Israel factor by implication is playing the spoiler in bringing about a salutary change in the mid east region.The occupation consequent upon 1967 six days war has been unduly prolonged and disintegration of Palestinian society is not being curtailed.It is time that US prevail upon Israel to urgently address the peace process by implementing the two-nation solution in an amicable and accommodating manner.A mechanism by the involved countries and the IAEA to ensure hat Iran’s nuclear program meticulously adheres to civilian activity for peaceful purpose could not be beyond the ingenuity of the concerned players .If Obama has successfully “re-set” US-Russia relations there can be no reason that US-Iran relations cannot be restored in a similar manner.Iran-Pakistan_India gas pipeline has virtually been a hostage to security concerns of this region, as the current situation virtually denies Iran its due role in the area.This in a way also hinders economic progress and integration of various nations in the SAARC region.

BJP in retrograde

Though the BJP leadership was visibly falling apart even during the course of elections,it was only the poll debacle that brought out prominently its ugly face in full public view.Without serving any show cause notice ,Jaswant Singh having thirty years of association with the party was expelled from the organization for launching his book Jinnnah:India-partition-Independence.Sensing himself next in the line of fire, Arun Shourie lost no time in making the most damaging diatribe against the entire top brass of the party,simultaneously describing the party as ‘Kati Patang’ that had lost all sense of direction and calling upon the RSS to virtually take over BJP for an overhaul of its leadership.The party was accused of fostering a group of mutually projected and mutually protected individuals who had no following worth the name with the masses.At the heart of all this was an ongoing struggle between leaders who provided council to Vajpayee during his tenure as PM for giving a shape and direction to the foreign policy,matters of economic sense as well as chart India’s place in the world order against such leaders who had wrested control of the organization supported by well entrenched factions statedly linked to certain quarters in the RSS.It was in view of this drift that Advani was upped by his supporters as “Lau Purush” presumably in the context of Kandahar episode for his having not concurred in the handing over of terrorists.Though this is now contested by other members of the party.The sidelining of said leaders in the poll process was quite conspicuous .Though this in a way dented the liberal and moderate image acquired during the Vajpayee era and eventually dented the poll prospects of the party to some extent.But soon the party was drifting back to a more hardline approach .Kalyan Singh having a backward class following in Uttar Pradesh was eased out of the party during the course of elections..Varun Gandhi’s most offensive utterances that could inflame communal tensions were not checked.Narendra Modi with a controversial image was projected as future Prime Minister for 2014.In the context of congress then desparately trying to wrest its spacefrom its regional allies and left parties moving away.to the third front,the BJP grew arrogant and snapped its time -tested poll alliance with the Biju Janta Dal that cost it heavily in the poll results.In a sort of power struggle within the party,difficulties were created at organization level for their own Chief ministers in the poll process.Eventually a ‘sure’poll victory gave way to a stunning defeat and the prestige of the leaders suffered.The fiasco could have been avoided if the party had not abandoned internal democracy and issues had been settled through internal debate.After the poll defeat,the sidelined leaders were naturally clamouring for causes of poll defeat and protested that defaulters were being rewarded with plum positions in the organization.The party would therefore have to turn over a new leaf and undergo a change in view of changing global scenario where jobs are going global,businesses are run by multinational companies and world problems are sorted out through diplomacy.With fifty percent of Indian population coming under the age group of below 25 years of age it may not be possible to hold back the people to an old fossilized mind-set.The party may manage to come to power in some states by setting a matrix of castes,groups and communities peculiar to specific states but coming to power at the centre would not be possible with outdated ideas or concepts.It may no longer be possible to win elections by resorting to ‘Rathyatras’, ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Ram Mandir’ which might have once propelled it to power at the centre.The happenings in the party are not so far indicative of any change with regard to its work-culture or policy approach to various problems facing the country and the people may yet only be watching the superficial twists and turns within the organization.

Reference of Balochistan at Sharm el-Sheikh--a diplomatic blunder

Stunned at the blunder on the part of our diplomatic team headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over mention of Balochistan as a spot of external interference in the “Indo-Pak joint statement in Sharm el-Sheikh ”. Congress party lost no time in distancing itself from the line taken by government. The four day long spell of silence in this matter was ultimately broken by party General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi saying that PM would clarify and correct the position on Balochistan and delinking between Pakistan’s action on terror and resumption of composite dialogue while addressing both houses of parliament on 29th of July. Because of this new insertion, the Balochistan issue will henceforth continue to reverberate in all the fora dealing with terrorism between the two countries and significantly drag India to disadvantageous positions. Even Ashfaque Kayani Pakistan Army chief has now sought to link Pakistan’s action against Lashkar-e-Taiba with India putting a stop to its covert operations in Balochistan. Richard Holbrooke US special envoy for Afghanistan-Pakistan has also now statedly asked Indian interlocutors whether India would stop its activities in Balochistan. Trying to hide this blunder behind words and arguments on the part of government can now serve no purpose while party will suffer in public estimation. India has squandered the advantage of an edge it so far possessed over Pakistan and has instead returned carrying a load of rendering classification and explanation about things it has nothing to do with and losing its face into the bargain. While Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani declared this as his diplomatic victory over India,our government continues to justify its action on terms of achieving peace and prosperity in the region. It is time we stop confusing the real issue by clinging to matters which are of the same import to both the countries. Diplomatic battles with the country having a definite clash of interest with us have to be scrupulously won even by engaging sharpest of minds in our diplomatic teams, lest we so damage our interests that our posterity pays dearly for our lapses. Another word of caution ,shed the big brother mentality realizing that this fact always existed earlier but our country was at times ravaged whenever we engaged complacently .Referring to past lapses by governments of other parties or alliances in fact betrays our sense of evading the real issues.