It is not China’s statement itself but the timing of it that is surprising (“ > China opposes Modi linking Pak. with terror ”, October 18). China said that the world must recognise the “great sacrifices” made by Pakistan in combating terrorism. This comes right after our Prime Minister’s condemnation of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, and the BRICS member states speaking out against terrorism in the Goa Declaration, stating that they “strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India.” And the very next day, we have China heaping praise on Pakistan for combating terrorism! This clearly shows that China will stand by Pakistan no matter what, even if the world were to acknowledge that Pakistan is a terror state.
Vijaya Krishna Pillai G.,
Mannar, Kerala
Every country had its own takeaway from the summit but there was little for the group as a whole. India took great pains, disproportionately in fact, to isolate its neighbour diplomatically. This was of little relevance to the group’s main agenda. Russia got its defence deal sealed with India. China had already signed deals with Bangladesh; it seemed like the Chinese leadership dropped by only to nonchalantly wave away our Pakistan-related concerns and go back to things as usual. All in all there’s little to write home about. The bigger question or concern is this: could BRICS end up as another SAARC in the long run?
R. Narayanan,
Ghaziabad
China has shown its true colours. It has proven that it trusts its all-weather ally more than the rest of the world and more than facts that show that Pakistan has been sheltering and training terrorists on its soil. China’s unconditional support to Pakistan will only embolden terrorists operating from Pakistan to intensify strikes.
K.R. Srinivasan,
Secunderabad
I don’t understand what sacrifices China is referring to that Islamabad has made. Is it referring to the several terror attacks that have taken place in Pakistan, or the taxpayers’ money that Pakistan is using to sponsor terror? China is using double standards in dealing with India. It has blocked our road on getting JeM chief Masood Azhar to be designated as a terrorist by the UN as well as our entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Rahul Thakur,
Bengaluru
The editorial (“Only about terrorism”, Oct. 18) says, “It is unfortunate that the outcome of the BRICS summit and the outreach to BIMSTEC countries has been popularly condensed into what they had to say on a single issue: terrorism…”. Everyone other than The Hindu seems to realise that the main concern India has now is terrorism; all the Prime Minister did was to highlight that. If the people of the country are not able to unite on major national issues, India cannot move forward.
Arjun,
Aluva, Kerala
It is undeniable that India is speaking in high decibels at various international forums to highlight the fact that it has become the victim of cross-border terrorism. But one’s own problem cannot be highlighted on a public forum where other members are justified in thinking that common issues have been relegated to the back burner. That China opposes Mr. Modi’s remark linking Pakistan with terror should serve as a wake-up call to us that in the future, it will look trite and hackneyed if the terrorism issue is raised yet again. China also had to tackle home-grown terrorism in its many provinces earlier. We should learn lessons from it and beef up vigilance on our borders.
K. Jayanthi,
Chennai
