Page 17 - English Tehelka Issue 5 - March 15, 2018

foreign affairs

Once the Generals take over, overt- there through widespread econom- played the smart Gujarati dealer already seen Palestine withdrawing
ly or covertly, there is no space left ic frustration of the people there. there. Sensing that China was look- its diplomatic representative from
for diplomacy in the foreign policy Diplomacy, as we observed at the ing for a larger role for itself in FATF Pakistan at India’s request. Modi’s
of a country — and diplomacy has start, is about the next century while in future, Modi played on their forays into the Islamic world are
meaning only in the foreign policy. politics is about the next elections. weakness and offered them India’s incredible for any Indian Prime
In Pakistan, that foreign policy is But here, the diplomatic victory of support there as quid pro quo for Minister, but more so for a PM from
dictated by the army. And they have India actually runs the risk of being China voting against Pakistan. the saffron party.
slapped a so called ‘consensus’ on an extremely short-term gain and There could be no bigger diplo- Perhaps the greatest example
the national opinion on the issue. huge long-term disaster. Not that matic rebuff to the Pakistan gov- of Modi’s new thrust on diplomacy
No civilian government, even to the China or other countries come off ernment and their Generals than to can be seen in India taking its ties
extent that it can be called a govern- any better. China seems to be push- have China sing India’s song against with Israel to a new high, and that
ment, can dare even suggest a shift ing its own interests in Pakistan far Pakistan at the most critical FATF too without hurting our standing
in the country’s foreign policy vis too brazenly to be sustainable for a meeting. That sealed Pakistan’s fate. with Palestine and the rest of the
a vis India. very long time. There is already a a This was India’s hour of diplomatic Islamic and the Arab world. The
At the extreme other end are rising popular sentiment of resent- glory. How long term this glory other equally impressive example
India and the USA, both avowedly ment in Pakistan against the China- would be remains to be seen be- shines through as India continues to
committed to a war on terror ema- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). cause it is not yet clear. It is also not have very close economic and dip-
nating from Pakistan. But some of China is being accused of doing to clear how supporting China in se- lomatic collaboration with mutually
the recent diplomatic moves of both Pakistan what the East India Com- curing a larger role for itself in FATF antagonistic Iran and Saudi Arabia.
India and the US have helped only pany had done to India — turning suits India in the long run — unless Iran in fact has offered the con -
to further isolate the civilian gov- the country merely into a colony Modi has also gained something far trol of the Chabahar port to India
ernment and thus strengthen the and finally leading it towards bank- more massive in return: an end to for the next 18 months — and this
hands of the army in that country. period can be used to a stunning
And the army is in no mood, at least effect to render Pakistan’s Gwadar
not for now, to stop making a dis- nel running the show, with Paki- • Boosting outsmarted both China and Paki- port completely irrelevant. This Ira-
tinction between the good terror- Modi’s diplomatic stan’s youth just hanging around bonds After stan and successfully weaned the Once the Generals nian sea port can in fact completely
ists (those who target the innocent forays into the as beggars disallowed employment meeting support of even Islamic countries take over, overtly alter and undermine the strategic
citizens of India and the US) and the in the project which is forced on Netanyahu, away from Pakistan. Out of 34 coun- geopolitical significance of Paki-
bad terrorists (those who target the Islamic world are Pakistan by their “taller than the Modi visited tries voting, only Turkey turned up or covertly, there stan with regard to Afghanistan.
Pakistani state or its people.) incredible for Himalayas” friend, China, through Palestine to support Pakistan, something that is no space left And if that happens, we might see
The end result of this double extremely unsustainable loans. This even China didn’t do. results that no one can even dare to
diplomatic whammy is that Paki- any Indian Prime Project has already become a politi- The FATF resolution against for diplomacy in dream of at this point of time. With
stan has finally been placed on the Minister, but more cal eye sore for many in that coun- Pakistan is a huge diplomatic tri- the foreign policy America showing no signs of with-
grey list and runs the serious risk of try and not just in Balochistan. umph for India. Prime Minister drawing from Afghanistan anytime
being finally put on the Black List so for a PM from Whatever may be the economic Narendra Modi’s hard work in for- of a country. In soon, and with India, the US and
by FATF. When that happens, inter- the saffron party and political dimensions of this eign affairs seems to be paying off. Afghanistan developing a new pow-
national funding and investments “game changer for Pakistan”, dip- Saudi Arabia, a role model for Islam- Pakistan, that er axis in the region, the Chabahar
in Pakistan will dry up. That would lomatically, it has already pushed ic states, backed off from supporting foreign policy is port acquires a significance that has
mean devastation of an already Pakistan unwittingly and unwill- Pakistan; although Washington ob- the potential to alter the long term
shattered economy. An unintended ruptcy. There are strong voices in ingly into the jaws of a direct con- viously played a role there, Modi’s dictated by the political, diplomatic, and most
result of this devastation would be Pakistan that are becoming louder frontation with the world sole super own goodwill with the Saudi rulers army importantly economic equations
the economic frustration among in their opposition to what they call power, America. The project which was not a small factor in finally tilt- not only for India, Iran and Afghani-
the common Pakistani people, “the Chinese colonization of Pa- seems doomed never to realize ing the scales against Pakistan . stan but for the whole world.
especially the educated and semi- kistan.” The fact is that Pakistan is its promised potential stands as a Modi’s greatest diplomatic coup The ground for that new equa-
educated youth. And that frustra- receiving massive doses of debts monument to a rare Chinese diplo- was seen in what must rank as the China’s opposition to India’s claim tion is laid on the waters of the
tion will be exploited by the Jihadi from China for a controversial pro- matic failure in the region. most humiliating diplomatic defeat for Permanent Membership of the Indian ocean where India and the
outfits to inflate their own ranks. ject — the CPEC — from which the The other end of the diplomatic for Pakistan. China, which is seen UN Security Council. That seems US have a shared stake in stalling
These Jihadi recruits are the same Chinese gains are expected to be failure of the regional players can by Pakistan to be their ally against unlikely, but if that ‘unlikely’ a pros- China. Diplomacy is going be the
whom the world community rec- over 80 per cent, compared to just be seen in the inability of China to India, was won over by Modi in a pect has been put on the Indo-China buzzword for the next five to seven
ognizes as Islamic terrorists. Thus, 20 per cent for Pakistan. Thus , the ensure that there is enough interna- reported deal in which both In - table in the backdrop of FATF, then years in the new world order. Wars
the very decision to put Pakistan CPEC is seen by the people of Paki- tional support for locking the FATF dia and China will gain — at the this would be a major, major gain. are all set to change their character
on the grey List, which is intended stan now as a project on Pakistan’s resolution against Pakistan. China expense of China’s vaunted ‘broth- Meanwhile, Modi’s success in from a military to a diplomatic-eco-
to wean that country away from territory, using Pakistani soil, with failed to get the requisite interna- erly friend’ Pakistan. China was foreign policy — which I believe is nomic exercise.
Jihadi terror, will only add further Chinese engineers, managers and tional support behind Pakistan on not inclined to support the move not being projected as massively at
ammunition to terror factories other key human resource person- that issue. Put another way, India against Pakistan initially, but Modi home as it can and should be — has letters@tehelka.com

tehelka / 15 march 2018 16 www.tehelka.com tehelka / 15 march 2018 17 www.tehelka.com

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