Dost Khan
India’s approval to meet Pakistan on cricket pitch should not surprise anyone, as the BJP has no agenda vis a vis its hostile neighbour.
JAMMU: Narendra Modi Government in New Delhi has made one more U-turn from its core agenda that won it 282 seats in Lok Sabha a year ago. By agreeing to India-Pakistan cricket series in UAE later this year, the NDA dispensation has amplified that no commitment remains sacrosanct for it after riding the tiger of power. But, the people have not forgotten the hype it created on its so-called nationalistic agenda ahead of last year’s crucial polls, which they believed to be a turning point in Indian political discourse. However, nothing of the sort happened; all this ‘Tamasha’ turned out to be a big hoax. One after another, the Modi government staged shameless retreat, leaving the huge BJP base in a state of quandary. If anyone, the Prime Minister included, claims the 2014 elections were just for development, he will be making a fool of himself and showing political naivety and disconnect with the people.
2014 elections were essentially for a change. They reflected renaissance of Indian voters who had developed deep yearning for teaching a lesson to pseudo secularists for bartering national interest to remain in power. BJP, with its pan nationalistic credentials, became the pivot, around which people revolved themselves. It was vote for Hindutva. It was vote for upholding the dignity and sovereignty, which had received a huge dent over the years. However, BJP turned out just as a deception. From day one, the Modi Government resorted to rhetoric and symbolism. The fire in the chest had gone. The party that took to jingoism when Pakistani soldiers took the head of Naik Hemraj as souvenir from Line of Control behaved meekly over the response to handle the case of Mumbai terror master mind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. He is currently Supreme Commander of operations in Kashmir, as a member of LeT’s General Council and India is haplessly watching him enjoying all the official privileges across the border.
Of late, the BJP policy-planners appear to be suffering from dementia. Remember the euphoric jibe made by Narendra Modi, as prime ministerial candidate, at Congress led UPA on 26th April last year over the issue of Dawood Ibrahim, who is ‘convalescing’ in Pakistan after the Mumbai serial blasts. He had lashed out at the then Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for publicly discussing the issue of bringing back the most wanted terrorist, responsible for 1993 Mumbai terror attacks. He had said that he was ashamed over Shinde’s immature comments. He had also advanced an argument by citing the killing of Osama bin Laden by the US forces and asked, “Did the US held a press conference before carrying out the Abbottabad raid”. Now, after little over a year, his Home Ministry tells Parliament in a written reply that the location of Dawood Ibrahim was not known to the government and, once he is located, his extradition process will be initiated. Where did the bravado go which had instilled a confidence among the people that Prime Minister Modi will deliver by hooking all the anti-national characters?
Instead of tackling Islamabad, Narendra Modi offered an olive branch even before being sworn-in as the Prime Minister by personally inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief to witness his coronation. Seeing and sensing the hard nut cracking so easily, Pakistan got emboldened and reciprocated by unleashing terror on Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.
Islamabad cared two hoots for the BJP Government when its High Commissioner in India opened dialogue channels with chronic Kashmiri separatists in the national capital despite counseling of the Ministry of External Affairs. It was an open affront to Indians. It was gravest ever provocation, which Indians failed to respond. They looked to the other side and resorted to symbolism by putting off the official dialogue in September 2014. However, Pakistan reconciled with cancellation of Foreign Secretary level talks in September last year but did not budge from extending ‘moral, political and diplomatic’ support to the people of Kashmir ‘in their pursuit of seceding from India’. They again played the mischief on 23rd March this year by inviting Kashmiri separatists at the Pakistan Day Celebrations in New Delhi High Commission. Instead of objecting, Modi Government found itself obliged to send the Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (retd) V K Singh to the same function, where Kashmiri separatists were star attraction for the Paki officials.
In this backdrop, India’s approval to meet Pakistan on cricket pitch should not surprise anyone, as the BJP has no agenda vis a vis its hostile neighbour. It can go to any extent in placating Islamabad in a mistaken belief of cutting ice on Kashmir and scoring point over the successive governments of the past nearly seven decades. Dejection and rejection, however, are in store for the government which had dominated the scene with promise of hope.
