Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s present visit to USA certainly would aim at projecting India as the biggest democracy, a trustworthy ally and a country having regional and global interests that converge with that of USA. To give the impression that India wishes peace in the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with Pakistan only if Pakistan takes appropriate action against perpetrators of terrorist acts in India.
Such conditionality’s are hard to quantify and difficult to satisfy. These also provide excuse to disrupt dialogue process at will for the pursuance of their interests. Such stances are used to exert diplomatic pressure either to avoid negotiations or to compel the other party to give up their point of view. Certainly, such coercive measures speak of double standards, inherent ill intent and wish to enforce their will as regards regional issues. India’s hegemonic designs and regional ambitions are a source of concern for smaller states of the area.
Americans seems to be nurturing India as a strong US ally in the region and a counter weight to China. US lawmakers need to assess viability of such a policy rather more empirically or else they might land up committing errors having long-term implications. India’s ability to resist Chinese interests in the region and to withstand their onslaught if ever is highly questionable. India has its own regional agenda stemming from their religo-psychic makeup (Mahabharata) that envisions revival of Great Bharat of distant past extending from parts of Iran and Afghanistan to Indonesia. Such ambitions would lead to instability and would be directly in conflict with long term USA interests in the region.
Indian government is endeavoring to project India as a “rising global power” brushing aside the fact that about one third of their population suffers from malnutrition and half of them live below poverty line. This endemic hunger has been ignored as people don’t come out in streets to remind government of its failing. It is direct results of the cast system a core religious believe which divides the society in social groups granting maximum privileges for higher strata (Brahmin) and depriving the lower casts of all rights. The protection assigned to higher casts is exceptional. An essential believe is that “a Brahmin leading the most wicked life and guilty of the most heinous crimes should not be hurt or killed, as the killing of a Brahmin is the most deadliest of all sins”. A society structured on such philosophies can only be in clash with universally accepted principles of human equality and civic rights.
India’s inaptness to act as a counter weight to China is but evident. Although China is India’s largest trading partner, yet the relationships between the two countries are that of strategic rivals. In the recent visit, realizing the strengths and potentials of China, President Obama acknowledged Chinas role in the Pakistan-India relations. It must be a blow to the Indian expectation of getting American node to exert itself as a regional power in South Asia. Before aspiring for regional and global role it will be apposite for India to look within. V. S. Naipaul while commenting on modern India, in his book “India, A Wounded Civilization” asserts; “The crisis of India is not only political or economic. The larger crisis is of wounded civilization that has at least become aware of its inadequacies and is without the intellectual means to move ahead”. He further asserted that Hinduism is not good enough as it exposed them to a thousand years of defeat and stagnation. Halford J Mckinder in “Cambridge History of India” called Indian people “less Warlike”. Historians ascribe shaping up of their history to racialism, lack of cavalry, centrifugalize and social conflict. These weaknesses still persist and will continue to haunt them in their pursuits for higher global positioning of their country.
India’s participation in the development of Afghanistan is not without purpose. They have already invested US $ 1.3 billion in development assistance for infrastructure and civic projects. At the same time their consulates are busy developing a spy web to destabilize Pakistan through terrorist activities. They wish to gain strategic space in Asia and to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the region. Chinese presence in Afghanistan and their US $ 3.5 billion copper mining project at Aynak, south of Kabul is a source of concern for them. To win US sympathy and to create wedge in US – China relations India is airing reports that Taliban has sought assistance from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. At the same time destabilizing activities in Pakistan are continuing unabated that would reduce Pakistan’s ability to combat terrorism, which will directly affect US efforts in Afghanistan. It will for sure contribute towards delaying their success in Afghanistan. Pursuance of such policies certainly won’t help India in winning USA support for a regional role.
The major divergence in US – India regional objectives radiates from Indian obsession to the concept of Mahabharata. US interests will be better served by peace in the region rather than her defeat in Afghanistan. On the contrary, India is bent upon making things difficult for Americans. Obsessed with her anti Pakistan stances, she is continuously maligning Pakistan of not taking action against the perpetrators of Mumbai terrorist attacks, a wonder in itself, where ten people could attack seven different location, could carry tons of explosive and holdup for over seventy two hours. They incessantly worry the world by repeating a presumed possibility of terrorist taking control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Such assertion by Prime Minister of a country seems absurd and speaks volumes about their policy orientation and long term objectives in the region. She will be well advised to accept realities and peacefully coexist with her neighbors.
By Alam Rind
