Govt, Cong clueless on the bully called Pak

New Delhi, Jan 11: While dealing with a bully, one has to be tactfully forceful and should not appear to be ignorant or be defensive. But both the ruling Congress and the External Affairs Minister who belongs to the party appear to be operating in a make-believe world and have little clue on tackling the regional bully called Pakistan.

The Congress yesterday said India was not a "soft state" and asked Pakistan "to learn a lesson from history" while reminding it of the Bangladesh war. "It is wrong to say we are a soft state. History is witness that we have always taught a lesson to our enemies. We hope that Pakistan will take a lesson from this history," party spokesperson Rashid Alvi told reporters.

He reminded Pakistan that "never before a lakh soldiers surrendered before any other nation" as had happened in the war for liberation of Bangladesh. Alvi rejected BJP leader Sushma Swaraj's contention that there is a "weak government" which may not be capable of taking tough decisions against Pakistan, saying the allegation by the main opposition party is "an attempt to deny history and glory of the nation".

Alvi's past is no longer a valid currency in current nuclear world. Pakistan was not a nuclear country in 1971 and possession of atomic bomb by that country changes all rules of engagement. Pakistan, in fact, wants to avenge the heavy defeat in Bangladesh war and it is foolish attempt to bring reason on that historical event. Try something else, Mr Alvi.

And our External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid seems to be conducting his foreign policy in vacuum. He should know why Pakistan is needling India now.

Khurshid said yesterday in Paris that he was "perplexed" by the killing of two Indian soldiers on the Pakistan border. New Delhi has in the past accused Islamabad of staging border attacks to deflect attention from domestic issues or to draw global attention to the Kashmir issue. But Khurshid said he had no answers this time. "Why should this happen? It perplexes me. I don't think anyone on the other side of the border is achieving anything wholesome," Khurshid told reporters in Paris after meeting with French counterpart Laurent Fabius.

But Khurshid should know that Pakistan is now heading United Nation's Security Council and that was the reason for its Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to rush and demand UN probe into the incident. Pakistan is going to sit on high table of Security council for January month and its membership is of two years. During this period, it will make every effort to push Kashmir on to international agenda and put India on defensive. Pakistan also knows that India will not call the US to put pressure on the Pakistan as the relations between Pakistan and the US have been less than cordial after ambush on Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan.

This kind of low harassment will continue as is evident from Ground Zero. The Pakistani army, since yesterday, has refused to allow trucks from India carrying goods at cross-Line of Control trade point in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Almost 25 trucks carrying goods have not been allowed to cross the LoC and enter Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir at Chakan-Da-Bagh.

As the trucks carrying goods for POK traders reached Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point to enter the trade center at Rawalakote (POK), the Pakistan army did not open the gates and conveyed this to Indian Army authorities at the point. With the stranding of 25 trucks, a total of 65 trucks are now lined up waiting to move into POK from Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point. Most of these trucks are carrying perishable goods, particularly vegetables.

OneIndia News