Post-Uri—A Litmus Test for Modi Image

The Uri attack demoralised the morale of the common man but thereafter an atmosphere of nationalism is prevalent in our country. In social media, our youth and other different classes are unitedly stood together. All eyes are focussed on ‘Har Har Modi’. Yes, the country has certainly given a good mandate to the Modi government to take strong independent decisions. History shows that on many occasions, India has taken many wrong decisions since Nehru took over as Prime Minister of India. We all know the blunders of Nehru while dealing with China, during the 1962 war. During Vajpayee’s period as PM, releasing Azhar Masood was also a blunder. Modi always criticised Dr Manmohan Singh for many weak decisions and Advani many times described Dr Singh as ‘weak PM’. Now ball is in Narendra Modi’s court. World is watching now how will Modi act? Time has come for India to ‘act’ not ‘speak’. Till now, India has not achieved anything from its strategic diplomacy with Pakistan, whereas Pakistan, despite being a weak nation in comparison to India, has been successful in diplomacy with neighbourhood, though it would not succeed in the long run.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after his speech in Kozhikode, deserves a loud applause from all. The speech made it quite clear that Pakistani Prime Minister, its government and military are cheating the common man in Pakistan in the name of Kashmir. Pakistani people love all of us but they are misguided.  It is noteworthy that if Pakistan and Pakistanis do not try to exorcise the cancer within, the future of this country is very bleak. Now, in the light of clear evidences that point to the direct involvement of the Pakistan State in the Uri atrocity, the ‘secular brigade’ in India seems to be not knowing what to opine and turned a bundle of contradictions. They suggest for crafting a national security policy, which subtly tries to paint a picture that acts of terrorism against India increased many fold, from a period of lull, with the advent of the BJP government, as the ruling political dispensation under Mr. Modi from 2014 onwards, as if to suggest that Pakistan State had shed its roguish character during the previous friendly ruling regimes that India had–read Congress. As long as we do not shed this prejudice on an issue concerning national security, no amount of security policies would help the country. For, the whole world is aware of the perennial security issue India is entangled into with Pakistan, the epic-centre of terrorism. No tactics of international politics and diplomacy can win the terrorists, mushrooming out of Pakistan soil when the terror kingpins are privileged to get security cover and even honoured by the political democracy there, which is under the mercy of joint consortium of military and mafia. Pakistan had never intensified actions against certain terrorist groups, as the intelligence agencies in Pakistan see them as their future strategic assets against India. Pakistan has collaboration with the terror network in Afghanistan through local insurgent groups in Pakistan border and houses training camps, which are mobile. But in this perspective, some people blame the government for its failure. However, it is apt to say that it is not misleading India. It is really working on the facts and not doing drama like others did just for votes. It is providing infrastructure for development; it is trying to find permanent or long-term solutions. It has a clear vision about what to do but people have to support it.

Pakistan’s unimaginative methods to keep the subject of internationalising the Kashmir dispute, which is a bilateral issue, with some additional local stakeholders, is to be tactically manoeuvred away from the UN, and India seems to fail and fall on that score , in as much as our military intelligence seems to be failing these days. The Modi government should introspect in retrospect and start working on lesser rhetoric and noise and show better management of the border security activities under its control–now seeming to be out of control. Let us not be empty vessels–just making huge noise, with no substance–as if that is the way to counter a Pakistani loose government.  However, having said all this, it is worth mentioning here that carrying out a military incursion on Pakistan or annulling Indus Water Treat are not the feasible solutions for the government. For, one, Pakistan is an atomic power country, where its Generals can go to any extent of irrationality.  Second, revoking the implementation of the Indus Water Treaty would take a long time, which would fail the purpose. Hence, what is the way out? The way out is to target the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which joins PoK and Balochistan to China. Given this year’s Independence Day speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is imperative for the government to address our territorial rights with regard to PoK and Balochistan, given the illegal strategic link scripted by China and Pakistan there. It is apt to say here that powerful countries are keen to destabilise the prosperity of the Asia continent by a way of divide the countries through various tactics and designs, whereas China very well understands their motives and intentions. Instead of these western countries coming on the front, they use Pakistan and other small countries of Asia as weapons to dominate over Asia by way of instigating terrorism, border disputes and Kashmir issues. The Pakistan civilian government is only for name-sake, as this country is being run by the Army, which instigates terrorists to create destructive activities at Indian borders. Hence, CPEC being Pakistan’s most profound hope, rather the only hope, its future existence has come to stay upon it. It is, therefore, logical that amongst India’s options against Pakistan, the CPEC should be given top priority. For, Modi will be remembered for his concrete decisions he took now in the 2019 election, which will serve the country’s interests comprehensively well.

Deepak Kumar Rath