Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit’s stand is surprising (“Pak. envoy accuses India of suspending dialogue”, April 8). It seems that certain sections in Pakistan are bent on sabotaging any sort of engagement between the two countries. All the bonhomie created with Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan and subsequent developments now stand eroded after this sudden volte face. While Nawaz Sharif is weighed down by forces inimical to India, Mr. Modi is clearly under pressure from the right wing not to mend fences with Pakistan.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,Tiruchi
The world is aware of how Pakistan keeps changing its colours despite India going the extra mile in extending it cooperation. Earlier, other countries used to condemn every terrorist attack but now it is no longer so — as long as they are not directly affected. Even at summits, no country appears willing to commit its resources to fighting terror on behalf of affected countries. Pakistan does not appear to see anything beyond Kashmir. How long can it remain blinkered?
K.V. Seetharamaiah,Hassan, Karnataka
When it comes to seeking cooperation from Pakistan in investigating acts of terror on our soil that are attributed to it, one can almost predict this — that it will end up in Pakistan sabotaging such cooperation. Mr. Basit’s accusation is to be seen in the larger context of Islamabad’s policy of preventing any meaningful anti-terror investigation that might eventually establish and expose the complicity of its own establishment in encouraging and supporting such attacks. China is also getting closer to Pakistan for a variety of reasons while the U.S.’s stand on Pakistan-sponsored acts of terror is increasingly becoming quite ambivalent.
Mr. Modi ought to take note of this hard reality and recast his policies towards Pakistan with greater maturity and shorn of any showmanship and grandstanding. He must also learn to evolve national consensus on various options open to us by taking the Opposition and strategic thinkers into confidence.
S.K. Choudhury,Bengaluru
One can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink; similarly, the Prime Minister is taking all steps to have cordial relations with the Pakistan but the latter does not seem to reciprocate. Any right-thinking person is bound to be upset with the negative attitude of people at the helm of affairs in Pakistan in not working sincerely to usher in peace. Even the common man with hardly any knowledge of foreign affairs knows that Pakistan is a hard nut to crack.
H.P. Murali,Bengaluru
The abrupt backtracking underscores the limitations of the Prime Minister’s personality-centric approach to foreign policy issues vis-à-vis Pakistan where multiple power centres operate. The Prime Minister should avoid the tendency for instinctive responses and instead draw upon considerable professional expertise available in the country to formulate a nuanced approach to India-Pakistan relations. An overwhelming desire for personal glory that a dramatic breakthrough can bring appears to have clouded Mr. Modi’s judgment.
Manohar Alembath,Kannur
