Jaswant says India has to live with US-Pakistan ties
WASHINGTON, Nov 2: India will have to live with the fact that the US will continue to rely on Pakistan as a key ally in the war against terror, says Indiaââ¬â¢s former minister for external affairs Jaswant Singh.
ââ¬ÅThe US has no option but to continue its policy towards Pakistan and therefore India would have to continue to pay a price,ââ¬Â Mr Singh told a meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
Mr Singh opposed Washingtonââ¬â¢s efforts to act as an ââ¬Åexternal equaliserââ¬Â in South Asia and urged the US to leave the region alone.
ââ¬ÅThe US often loses interest and Pakistan on its own begins to flounder and when it flounders, there are difficulties for India,ââ¬Â he said.
But he acknowledged that Indiaââ¬â¢s concerns would not persuade the US to change its policies towards Pakistan because ââ¬Åas far as Pakistan is concerned, the US has run into a blind alley.ââ¬Â
Mr Singh, who was speaking at a meeting at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, urged India to find an answer to this problem instead of asking the US to change.
ââ¬ÅWe have to beat it internally and we have to beat it bilaterally because the nature of the situation is that Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq; this is our neighbourhood and we are only eight and a half minutes away. The US is 8,500 miles away. We have to deal with it.ââ¬Â
Mr Singh described Indiaââ¬â¢s border disputes with China and Pakistan as a failure of Indian diplomacy and urged policy planners in New Delhi to overcome this shortcoming.
ââ¬ÅOne of the failures of Indiaââ¬â¢s diplomacy has been its inability to manage its relations with all its neighbours,ââ¬Â said the former Indian minister. ââ¬ÅIf I donââ¬â¢t admit it then I am denying the existing reality.ââ¬Â
N-DEAL WITH PAKISTAN: He said Washington was welcome to strike a civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan but warned that a ââ¬Ågreat dealââ¬Â would have to be transformed internally within Pakistan, such as democracy, before a deal could be offered,
ââ¬ÅI cannot claim that India alone has a right to be secure in the region. All countries have a right to be and feel secure,ââ¬Â he added.
INDO-US N-DEAL: Mr Singh said that the Indo-US nuclear deal was a ââ¬Ånatural evolutionââ¬Â of the comprehensive dialogue on the Indo-US relations that he, as a representative of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, had with then US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, who shared the dais with him.
Still he felt that there were ââ¬Åreal difficultiesââ¬Â in the dealââ¬â¢s details on restraint on further testing and on fissile materials and urged New Delhi to pay special attention to them.
Mr Singh said India needed to expose long-running double standards of the global nuclear regime and yet join it as a partner to share those privileges.
ââ¬ÅIndia is a part of the solution. India is not the problem and if this is recognised other things will follow,ââ¬Â Mr Singh said.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/11/03/top6.htm
WASHINGTON, Nov 2: India will have to live with the fact that the US will continue to rely on Pakistan as a key ally in the war against terror, says Indiaââ¬â¢s former minister for external affairs Jaswant Singh.
ââ¬ÅThe US has no option but to continue its policy towards Pakistan and therefore India would have to continue to pay a price,ââ¬Â Mr Singh told a meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
Mr Singh opposed Washingtonââ¬â¢s efforts to act as an ââ¬Åexternal equaliserââ¬Â in South Asia and urged the US to leave the region alone.
ââ¬ÅThe US often loses interest and Pakistan on its own begins to flounder and when it flounders, there are difficulties for India,ââ¬Â he said.
But he acknowledged that Indiaââ¬â¢s concerns would not persuade the US to change its policies towards Pakistan because ââ¬Åas far as Pakistan is concerned, the US has run into a blind alley.ââ¬Â
Mr Singh, who was speaking at a meeting at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, urged India to find an answer to this problem instead of asking the US to change.
ââ¬ÅWe have to beat it internally and we have to beat it bilaterally because the nature of the situation is that Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq; this is our neighbourhood and we are only eight and a half minutes away. The US is 8,500 miles away. We have to deal with it.ââ¬Â
Mr Singh described Indiaââ¬â¢s border disputes with China and Pakistan as a failure of Indian diplomacy and urged policy planners in New Delhi to overcome this shortcoming.
ââ¬ÅOne of the failures of Indiaââ¬â¢s diplomacy has been its inability to manage its relations with all its neighbours,ââ¬Â said the former Indian minister. ââ¬ÅIf I donââ¬â¢t admit it then I am denying the existing reality.ââ¬Â
N-DEAL WITH PAKISTAN: He said Washington was welcome to strike a civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan but warned that a ââ¬Ågreat dealââ¬Â would have to be transformed internally within Pakistan, such as democracy, before a deal could be offered,
ââ¬ÅI cannot claim that India alone has a right to be secure in the region. All countries have a right to be and feel secure,ââ¬Â he added.
INDO-US N-DEAL: Mr Singh said that the Indo-US nuclear deal was a ââ¬Ånatural evolutionââ¬Â of the comprehensive dialogue on the Indo-US relations that he, as a representative of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, had with then US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, who shared the dais with him.
Still he felt that there were ââ¬Åreal difficultiesââ¬Â in the dealââ¬â¢s details on restraint on further testing and on fissile materials and urged New Delhi to pay special attention to them.
Mr Singh said India needed to expose long-running double standards of the global nuclear regime and yet join it as a partner to share those privileges.
ââ¬ÅIndia is a part of the solution. India is not the problem and if this is recognised other things will follow,ââ¬Â Mr Singh said.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/11/03/top6.htm
