New Delhi lacks the spine
Last Updated : 24 Feb 2011 01:24:09 AM IST
Ideally the meek should inherit the earth, but in the real world today they tend to get pushed around. Might, and unwavering resolve, gets a nation respect from other countries. Those who waver, who wax and wane, who shout and flex their muscle only to climb down, are not taken seriously. Their threats carry little weight. But those who stay the course, who defend the rights and the person of their citizens as if national integrity depends on it are respected for their resolve. Their word counts and their citizens are not easily trifled with. In the odd case that they are, then the weight of national resolve is put into effect as their saviour.In September 2010, a Chinese supply boat had rammed into a Japanese Coast Guard vehicle. In consequence Japan had detained the captain of the boat. Chinese took it as a provocation and made it into a national cause. Tensions escalated rapidly. China kept up relentless pressure on Japan; it suspended all high level contacts, halted talks on more flights and postponed meetings on coal and gas exploration. China also halted the export to Japan of a rare mineral affecting severely its electronic industry. Japan succumbed and had to release the supply boat captain.More recently we have been reading about the case involving Raymond Davis, allegedly a US intelligence agent. The facts of the case are reasonably well known. Raymond Davis had a confrontation with two Pakistani nationals who were pursuing him threateningly and whose antecedents are a matter of speculation. Some reports allege they were Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents who were meant to ensure that Davis did not cross the red lines drawn by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Others aver that the two were robbers who were only interested in getting his purse and the mobile. Anyway Raymond Davis shot them dead and he was arrested.Most countries would have let matters rest there and allowed law to take its course. But the United States of America is not just another country, and it does not countenance another nation trifling with its nationals; especially when they are on its service. In the last few days the US has mounted great pressure on Pakistan; putting on hold high level contacts, hinted at cutting off aid and told everyone who matters in Pakistan that this is the litmus test for their own personal standing with America. One of the victims of the American displeasure was the bumptious former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi; the one who had humiliated India’s external affairs minister S M Krishna in Islamabad violating both the rules of hospitality and exposing simultaneously the inadequacies of our representation. But the larger point here is the reach and wrath of an angry US. It was going to stand no nonsense from a foreign minister who dared question their desire to claim diplomatic status for Davis and to have him set free at the earliest.But all said and done Pakistan is a tough match. It is making the United States grind its nose in the dust and employing all possible tactics to delay and deny freedom to Davis. Still it is more than likely that the US may eventually get its way because it is stronger of the two. Moreover the US is firm on the principle that the life and person of its nationals is sacrosanct. China follows that same fundamental. That is the reason the US and China are feared and respected in the world today. Such lack of conviction was one reason why the Soviet empire decayed.Where do we stand today? Can we claim to be on the same page as the US and China? Do we go out on a limb to protect our nationals? Do other governments think twice before maltreating our nationals? Sadly the evidence is bleak.Look at the way Sri Lanka has been ignoring our concerns. It started first with the massive human rights abuses of the Sri Lankan Tamils. You might concede the point that Velupillai Prabhakaran was a war criminal who had the blood of many on his hands, and for this reason Sri Lanka was right in hounding and eventually killing him. But what about thousands of old people, women and children? What was their crime? Why were they tortured, ill-treated and killed in such large numbers? Why are they still being discriminated against? As Sri Lanka’s largest neighbour and as a country that has umbilical responsibility towards ordinary, innocent Sri Lankan Tamils, we should have at least raised our voice in their favour. But we did nothing of the sort, nor did anything that was visibly effective.The result is that the Sri Lankan government began to take us for granted. It is no wonder therefore that they should now be venomously pursuing our fishermen from Tamil Nadu. One after the other they have killed two of them, the second was dragged to death in water with a rope tied around his neck. We dispatched high level visitors to Sri Lanka who returned satisfied with Sri Lankan assurances that there would be no repeat of such incidents. Yes, of course, there has not been a repeat of the killings of Indian fishermen. But that is because the Sri Lankans have changed tactics. Instead of killing, they are now resorting to mass arrests, a hundred plus one day and twenty-odd shortly thereafter. But what has been our response to these provocations? Are we doing anything by way of deterrence? Are we at least arresting some of their fishermen? Did we seek compensation for those killed by Sri Lankan Navy?It was a similar tale in Australia a few months back. A number of Indian students were roughed up, a few were killed. Now in the US the same story is repeating itself, this time in form of state imposed shackles. For the last month or so these students have had to suffer the ignominy of radio-tags tied to their ankles. Can we do that to any American national?Then, there is our about turn on the issue of a dialogue with Pakistan. Nothing has changed; Pakistan has stonewalled us consistently; it remains opaque on the issue of prosecuting the masterminds of Mumbai 26/11 and it refuses to give us the voice samples. Yet for no reason at all we seem to have given the go by to our publicly stated stand that dialogue and terror don’t go together. Suddenly it is back to normal with Pakistan. Obviously we the people are missing seeing something in the official trick mirror.A trick of smoke and mirrors is useful once. It deceives the audience for the first time. But once the hollowness of the claim has been exposed, even the magician loses faith in his own trick. Then he convinces none. Consistency in national affairs is essential in establishing the soundness of credentials. Those who waver are forced to retreat by others Rajiv Dogra is a former ambassador
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