Herat attack made Modi's invitation to Sharif a perfect move
What
makes
this
move
to
invite
Sharif
special
is
that
it
has
come
at
a
very
appropriate
time
and
both
India
and
Pakistan
have
backed
this
without
compromising.
The
plan
could
have
been
easily
jeopardised
in
the
wake
of
the
attack
on
the
Indian
consulate
in
Herat
in
Afghanistan
but
Modi
and
Sharif
made
it
a
point
to
go
ahead
with
the
schedule.
Both
deserve
a
pat
on
their
back
for
turning
a
potential
crisis
into
an
opportunity.
Sharif
couldn't
have
ignored
the
invitation
For
Sharif,
turning
down
the
invitation
in
the
wake
of
the
Afghanistan
attacks
would
have
sent
a
wrong
message
to
the
entire
world.
The
international
community
would
have
accused
Islamabad
of
compromising
with
terror,
an
allegation
that
Sharif
has
faced
in
the
past.
So
this
was
a
big
opportunity
to
rewrite
the
scripts
and
Sharif
did
it
successfully,
even
by
convincing
powerful
power
structures
of
his
country
and
ignoring
warnings
given
by
terror
mastermind
Hafiz
Saeed.
The
series
of
tweets
by
his
daughter
Maryam
helped
in
dealing
things
with
a
soft
hand.
Modi
himself
was
also
under
pressure
but
he
differentiated
between
domestic
&
foreign
politics
But it is not just the Pakistani prime minister who was under pressure. Modi himself also faced criticism from a section of the Opposition for making soft gestures at Pakistan amid terror activities. The Opposition has also said that Modi, who spoke against the atrocity of Pakistani troops at the borders during the election campaign, has changed his stance once the results came out in his favour.
Indo-Pak talks become significant head of the USA's withdrawal from Afghanistan
It is futile to equate the strategies of domestic politics with foreign policy compulsions and no matter what Modi's critics say, he has set the foreign policy agenda rolling in the right direction. The initiative to bring together the SAARC leaders, including those from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, instead of a more fashionable round-table meeting with leaders of the BRIC, EU or USA, makes enough sense as far as a new regime in New Delhi is concerned. Perhaps the absence of the compulsion of coalition politics has freed Modi's hands but yet the apt thinking deserves appreciation.
India did a good job by inviting the SAARC member heads
India's
own
neighbourhood
is
a
volatile
region
and
despite
the
Look
East
or
West
policies,
the
policy
of
looking
around
can't
be
abandoned
at
any
point
in
history.
If
the
Modi
government
succeeds
in
establishing
a
peaceful
neighbourhood
by
effecting
a
cooperation
with
all
the
neighbouring
states
(political,
economic
and
cultural),
it
will
be
a
big
feat.
The
decision
to
invite
Sri
Lankan
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksha
is
another
example
in
hand.
The
Modi
government
will
do
the
right
thing
by
taking
a
fresh
initiative
with
the
Lankan
government
and
not
allow
the
regional
parties
from
South
India
to
flex
their
muscles.
The
new
government
at
the
Centre
needs
to
make
its
decisive
mandate
count
when
it
comes
to
taking
key
decisions
in
foreign
policy
matters.
Modi
and
Sharif
eager
to
complete
the
'1999
task'
Coming back to the issue of Pakistan, Modi's soft approach towards Islamabad is not surprising. The first prime minister of the NDA, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, too, had taken a similar initiative with the western neighbour and the diplomacy went well until Pervez Musharraf disrupted it and toppled Sharif. History has brought back the NDA and Sharif the lost opportunity and both sides will be more than eager to finish the incomplete task. It was indeed interesting to see that Modi made up his mind to engage with the neighbour on the very first day after taking over as the PM.
Afghan question post-US withdrawal will require more India-Pakistan engagement
The engagement with Pakistan is very crucial for India at this moment. The reason is the gradual withdrawal of the western forces from Afghanistan by this year end. For a new government under Modi and a one-year-old regime of Sharif, the vacuum that will be created in Afghanistan once the USA pulls out will be threatening and wisdom lies for both New Delhi and Islamabad to stick together to deal with elements. The attack in Herat made Modi's invitation to Sharif look all the more relevant.
In India, Modi has often been labelled as a divisive leader. If he can stitch together a viable partnership with Pakistan in the fight against terror, something which he has strongly attacked in many of his speeches, history will be much kinder to him. Let's hope for a positive turnaround.