Lucky to have Manmohan Singh as PM: Former Obama aide

Washington, May 17: A basic common trait among all Indians is that they continue to deride someone of their own until a foreigner brings to light the virtues of that person. The Congress party would be hoping that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose image has taken a beating after a series of scandals involving his office and cabinet ministers broke out, will get a shot in the arm after being highly spoken about by a former Obama aide.

Gen (retd) James Jones, former US National Security Advisor believes that the World, the United States in particular is lucky to have Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India. According to him had it not been for the extra-ordinary restraint showed by Singh then India and Pakistan would have plunged into a serious war after provocations on India's western border.

He said, "We are lucky to have (Indian) Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh who has taken personal risk along the Pakistani-Indian border to make sure that there's no provocation. But it's a sensitive time because another attack from Pakistan on India then it will be hard-pressed to contain a reaction that would greatly destabilise the region."

He was speaking at the National Press Club luncheon.

Informing that the US had intimated the same to Pakistan many a times, he said, "We have carried that message to them several times. So let's hope that now that bin Laden hunt has been concluded that we can build on the relationship and do the things that are absolutely important for our collective security."

He was also quick to inform that any further provocation from Pakistan can spell disaster as even Singh would also lose his cool and react in a manner expected by his country-men and opposition parties.

He said, "The downside risks are that any other attacks emanating from the territory, where the Pakistan government could have and did not move against a terrorist safe haven, and a successful attack is carried out in another country, whether it's Europe, the US or India, it will be very hard for any leader to resist the hue and cry from the public to say, you know, why don't you do something about this?"

The former Obama aide is to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 17 on the current situation in Pakistan, particularly in the aftermath of 'Operation Geronimo' that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

OneIndia News