Itanagar, Oct.3 (ANI): Even if India admits to China's massive defence build-up along its border and New Delhi plans to match Beijing's steps, North Block has to improve its diplomatic maneuvering capability with Islamabad, now inching towards Beijing after straining its relations with the US.
Admitting that China is aggressively building is military capabilities, Defence Minister AK Antony is on record as saying that India was negligent in strengthening its capabilities in the eastern sector.
Instead of grumbling over the issue, India has started modernizing its own capabilities by taking steps, such as raising army divisions and upgrading advanced landing grounds for aircraft operations (without mentioning all these developments in Arunachal Pradesh along Sino-India border).
Though Antony and Pranab Mukherjee, another senior minister, have announced matching infrastructures and defence build-up to match that of China's during their past visit to Tawang, the ground realities are far below expectations.
China has been claiming Arunachal, particularly Tawang, as its own territory, the main bone of contention in resolving the Sino-India border tangle.
As Arunachal, a hilly landlocked state, poses a tough challenge in building roads because of its tough terrain and hostile climatic conditions, translating the policies to match the changing geo-political scenario is a Herculean task.
The humiliating defeat of the Indian Army in the 1962 Chinese aggression is a cue for the planners as lack of roads and infrastructures was responsible for India's defeat in 1962.
Moreover, Pakistan is the most undependable Indian neighbour, which after straining ties with the USA, is moving towards China.
The tough stand of Washington against its ally Pakistan on the fight against terror has pushed Islamabad to a Catch-22 situation, particularly after the US zeroed down and eliminated al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a textbook precision air raid on a building near a Pakistan defence establishment in Abbottabad and asked Pakistan to free the ISI from abetting jehadi terrorists, including Haqqani Network, enlisted by USA as specially designated global terrorists.
Both USA and China have been trying to placate Pakistan while India has been walking tightrope with its weak-kneed diplomacy to maintain the balance for peace in South East Asia.
But, if Pakistan's bilateral, particularly defence ties, with China improves it would pose a serious threat to India as the oft repeated allegation of Opposition BJP that China is encircling India would come true.
India and China share 3,488 km border touching Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal while Beijing exerts its influence on the military junta in Myanmar which shares 1,643 km border with India.
As Pakistan shares 3,323 km border with India, China could use Pakistan naval bases responsible to protect its 1,046 km coastline along the Arabian Sea which would help its tactic move to encircle and leave India suffocated and sandwiched.
Pakistan has an avowed policy to disturb and weaken Indian economy, while China supplying arms to the powerful terrorist groups to deepen disturbances in the hostile North East India has been established.
In the latest war against the Pak-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, four terrorists were killed while the Army lost an officer and a jawan.
This poses huge challenge to tackle India's internal and external threats. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) and the state PWD, tasked to build border roads, have to rise to the occasion at the call of the nation.
Moreover, what need more at this juncture is astute diplomacy to strike a golden mean between friends and the foes. Whether External Affairs Minister Krishna is capable of doing it or not, is a million dollar question.
India had to cut a sorry figure during the maiden visit of Khar to New Delhi in July last as Krishna was not allowed to address a joint press conference for the reason that he would not be able to match her oratory skills, despite the fact that she is a young minister with hardly any experience in the diplomatic field.
But undoubtedly, the charming young lady had scored one or two points more over her senior Indian counterpart.
The improved ties between India and Bangladesh is a temporary respite, but the post Burhanuddin Rabbani-Afghanistan is no doubt a motivation for the Haqqani network to pose threats to Indian security and stability.
The call given by Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to Khar to cut short her USA trip is proof enough that Pakistan is more interested in improving its ties with China.
In such a scenario, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent call to the UN General Assembly to focus on correcting the deficit in world governance, particularly in fighting terrorism, bodes well for the future.s far as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is concerned, she was chosen for the job by President Barak Obama because of her grasp of world diplomacy, and therefore, she would always promote US policy -Nothing is unfair in love and war.
It is time for North Block to seriously ponder over the issue, lest New Delhi cuts a sorry figure before the world community and struggles to maintain its place in a fast changing geo-political equation that includes Pakistan and China.
It would be relevant to quote former Assam and Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Lt. Gen. (Retired) S K Sinha: "The security situation in NE India today is much better than in the past, although the China factor looms large and is a matter of grave concern. China's growing war potential poses a threat. No matter how friendly a neighbour may be, we must always be prepared to counter its potential threat. Policy changes can take place in a short time frame but developing defence potential takes time. Diplomacy in terms of good relations with countries of South East Asia, defence preparedness, and economic development should be the corner stones of India's policy in the NE."
Attn: News Editors/News Desks: The views expressed in the above article are that of Mr. Pradeep Kumar, Editor-in-Chief of the Itanagar-based daily Arunachal Front. (ANI)
|
|
Read More: East Godavari | Orga | BJP
Comments:
