It is important to keep the channel of communication alive; I do realise that. The visit of a diplomat from Pakistan as a step was welcome, that is also acceptable. Even the Lord Krishna went for peace when all was obviously lost in peace terms, that is also true. It is further very much a fact that India and Pakistan at least for now are not interested in war.
But that does not give anyone the right to walk into my home and insult not only me, but even those members of my family - Like Lt Kalia - who are no longer alive. First off, it shows that the guest is an idiot, evil, uncultured and totally untrustworthy. Sure we knew that beforehand, but this serves to prove to the world what swines reside on our north west border. The comparison of 26/11 with Babri and Samjhauta prove that Pakistan is only interested in fomenting trouble; a person on a peace mission does not make inflammatory statements.These comments were not in bad taste; they seem to have been made with malice in mind. I cant make anything else out of such immature and downright foolish utterances. Now let us hope that this is the last- the very last - peace initiative with Pakistan. Enough is enough. Let us start branding Pakistan as a failed and terrorist nation, and systematically impede it in every possible way - diplomatic blockade and isolation. And call a spade a spade. Say openly, we are not interested in talking with a failed terrorist state like Pakistan. And this should be stated by the Prime Minister, as well as in the UNO.
Furthermore, in hindsight, what was the need of an immediate visit when MEA and the security agencies had both warned against such a visit? This step of the Government of India does not make any sense. We could have put it off till after the situation was more conducive. But no, we had to do it immediately. What was the need of pushing through this visa arrangement? And at what cost? At the cost of insulting the nation and its heroes? Is the loss of self-respect an acceptable price to pay just for a diplomatic initiative? I myself am an advocate of the Peace Process; we need a peaceful and stable Pakistan in order to divert our attention to China, as well as to grow our economy. But this is ridiculous. Even I had not expected such malicious statements designed to create trouble from a person who is ostensibly a diplomat! In my opinion, this is another place where the GOI has goofed big - time; the opposition has it right.
No sane person will make such irresponsible remarks on a peace mission. And that the visitor is sane is beyond question; an insane man does not rise to and hold onto the position he has attained. There can then be only one remaining reason for such inflammatory remarks: he was here only to speak to his own hard-line community back in Pakistan; he may have made the statements on Indian soil, but he was talking to Pakistani citizens back in Pakistan. That apart, it could also be an attempt to foment trouble.
But there is one significant caveat with such a short-term strategy. (Having said that, I have to admit that our worthy neighbour is not known for thinking strategies from a long-term perspective; witness their society, or their economy, or their international reputation, or their military "prowess"). This caveat is that it also serves to foment trouble on a rather different tangent. The target for the trouble-maker are the disaffected people in the target country, and raise their passions. However, such utterances also serve to alienate even the moderates among the citizens. There are people like me who are moderates, who prefer talking and continuing the peace process. Slowly and surely, the moderates are going to be pushed into the arms of hardliners who advocate a no-talks-with-Pakistan line...
And that is dangerous for both nations. Unfortunately, Pakistan does not seem to realise that. After this visit, even a committed moderate like me does not see the point in continuing the peace process and diplomatic initiatives; in my opinion, we should openly label Pakistan a failed and terrorist state in all fora; and be very blunt with everyone USA included: no talks. Not anymore. A diplomatic blockade in the need of the hour; it is high time we Indians went on the aggressive against Pakistan as a first step. And that is the tangential impact of the utterances of the visiting diplomat. A further alienation of the people of India; far from making peace, this visit has served to harden the Indian people's stance. Thus, even for peace, no talks are recommended with Pakistan. It is high time the UPA realised that they are whipping a dead horse; the opposition seems to have realised this....
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