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.
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