Foxes And Hounds

We apologize to our readers for the delayed release of this issue. The BR site experienced severe server software problems last month and rectifying them took time. We wish our readers a very Happy Independence Day. A growing maturity in India's strategic vision is becoming evident. Recent events highlighting this are the handling of the American request for Indian troops in Iraq, the warming relationship with the United States and the moves that are being made in Jammu and Kashmir and towards China.

The Cabinet Committee on Security's decision not to send Indian troops to aid US efforts in Iraq seems to have ruffled feathers in the US. The lines were clearly drawn in the debate in India on the deployment of troops. Though most people had strong views on deployment issue, the debate itself was not acrimonious. Most of the participants in the debate accepted that there is no way for India to divorce itself from its strong cultural and economic linkages to the region and a deployment of some sort is in order. The civilian assistance package outlined by Sri. B. Raman and the 'reconstruction force' idea discussed by Rear Admiral Raja Menon (Retd.), represent some of the options that may be workable at the present time. Keeping an open mind at this point is a desirable thing.

On the Indian side, the release of the 'secret' Myra Macdonald report on the Indian defence community has caused much anger and concern. This anger could prove somewhat counter-productive. It is clear that many cultural gaps that exist between Indian and American defence services personnel. Despite the recent services-level contact, talking to Americans is still akin to walking on egg shells. Maj. Gen. Afsir Karim's remarks about the need for extreme caution when communicating with the Americans reflect the need of the hour.

The need for caution quite evident in the aftermath of Gen. Musharraf's visit to Camp David. No one quite knows everything that Gen. Musharraf has promised the US President George Bush there, but undoubtedly the Bush-Musharraf marriage has reached another milestone. Though the Pakistani wish-list for advanced American weapons hasn't quite been met, attention needs to focus on what arms the Pakistanis did extract. Conventional arms transfers have a nasty habit of feeding Pakistan's propensity for aggressive behaviour and a large fleet of PC-3 Orions aren't the brightest thing to be gifting to them.

Incidentally, Pakistani aggression has been much in evidence along what used to be the 'Durand Line'. A Line of Control (LoC) separates Afghanistan and Pakistan today, as the 'Durand Line' treaty which formalized the border has lapsed. This LoC has been the site of several deadly skirmishes between Afghan Government troops and the Pakistani Army. The infiltration of Al Qaida terrorists from from the 'Tribal Areas' of Pakistan into Afghanistan continues unabated. However rather than fulfil its promise to enable the US to contain the Al Qaida threat coming from Pakistan, the Pakistani Army appears more interesting in burning Afghan villages in a bid to coerce the Karzai Government to renew the Durand Line treaty. Given that it was Pakistani interference that caused such tragedy in Afghanistan in the 1990s, the behaviour of a wayward Afghan crowd in Pakistani Embassy in Kabul is hardly surprising.

Over the past month, a fuller exposition of Prime Minister Vajpayee's cryptic remarks at a speech in Srinagar has emerged. The hand of peace that was extended to Pakistan seems to have been grasped at least in part by elements of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA - Pakistan's Islamist Political Alliance). Some analysts have attributed this sudden 'Love India' phenomenon among the leadership of the MMA to their wariness of growing US power in the region. Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed strong distaste for events in Iraq during the recent visit to India. The Maulana also verbally paid his respects to the sub-continental roots of the Islamist movement, namely Shah Waliullah and Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi. The Maulana's overt disapproval of the violent Jihad in Jammu and Kashmir appears to have touched a raw nerve in Pakistan. The Alhe-Hadithi group, Lashkar-e-Taiba has taken strong exception to it. One result of this anger was its attack on the EME Camp at Tanda in J&K. The tragedy at Tanda, underscores the high-risk nature of the peace initiative. The killing of senior military officers represents an escalation in the terrorists' calculus. India's military response to terrorism has seen a qualitative change as evidenced by Operation Sarp Vinash (Operation Snake Destruction).

June 2003 marks a notable event in Indian foreign relations as Prime Minister Vajpayee's visited China. The last visit was in 1993 by Prime Minister Rao. Since then, India and China have transformed, and events such as 9/11 have influenced international relations. India and China must recognize basic truths about each other. For India, China's size, economy and culture make it one of new Asia's great powers. Likewise, China must recognize that a confident, democratic, economically prosperous and militarily strong India is inevitable. Therefore, both countries are compelled to constructively engage each other.

This visit presented a unique opportunity to reaffirm old statements in person. Both countries agreed to adhere to the Panchsheel Doctrine and the peaceful resolution of outstanding issues. India reaffirmed its one-China policy and recognition of the Autonomous Region of Tibet as a part of China. The visit resulted in a joint memorandum on trade. According to the agreement, the Nathu La pass will be the designated crossing point with markets located in Indian Sikkim and Chinese Tibet. The memorandum also sought to enhance cooperation on scientific issues, cultural links, simplification of travel regulations, and agricultural export.

Overall, the visit renewed five decades of diplomatic ties and expands established ties into new spheres. The full impact of the visit will not be realized for at least a few years as the mooted issues are worked upon by both countries. As Indians, we must remember that China is as diverse as India itself. Consequently, any monolithic appearance is superficial and underlying this is a deeper political structure. There is a need for some patience on both sides as healthy change in international geopolitics is seldom rapid. Finally, the Bharat-Rakshak site is proud to announce that the Amar Jawan database now contains over 18000 records of Indian soldiers. Though it does not contain the Kargil data yet, this information will be added shortly. We must never forget those that gave their today for our tomorrow.