Former Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid claimed on Monday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted his own private success story with Pakistan and was pursuing a ‘policeman’s foreign policy’.
“You can’t talk to another country when it is only half the voice of the nation. Unless the whole nation speaks, you cannot succeed with another country. And the big mistake Modi is making is he wants to make his own private success story with Pakistan. That is not possible. That has never been possible. It is not possible now,” Khurshid told IANS in an interview.
Khurshid said for a national consensus on ties with Pakistan it is necessary for the Indian government and opposition to be on better terms.
Days after an ice-breaking meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Modi in the Russian city of Ufa, where both sides decided to resume the dialogue process stalled since mid-2014, cross border firing has resumed.
Regarding the recent border tensions and responding to a question whether Pakistan has made a ‘u-turn’ from position in Ufa, Khurshid said, “They [Pakistan] are never capable or sincere in dealing with India’s concerns.”
“We have seen this over and over again. For anyone who is seeing it as an about-turn, we are fooling ourselves. It was never really intended by Pakistan to come on board with India’s concerns on security. It was done because they wanted to show something to the world and Modi wanted to show something to India,” Khurshid said, adding that Modi had a great panache for quick fixes.
The former external affairs minister also said that Modi was dealing with Pakistan in a pure tactical manner.
“Whatever Modi decides he has to do with Pakistan must have some strategic inputs. I think he does not really rely on adequate level of strategic inputs,” he said.
Asked about his remarks that Modi government’s foreign policy was failure, Khurshid said “it has not delivered anything anywhere.”
“They have not told us what they want to do. Just going everywhere and getting 21 gun salutes is not what diplomacy is about. Diplomacy is about furthering your national interest, making your presence felt and getting your high priority items. What have we received in the last one year by way of delivery from any country that Mr Modi has visited,” Khurshid added.
“I think a policeman’s foreign policy is what he is pursuing and a policeman’s foreign policy, to my mind, is a disaster. Policeman’s foreign policy is when you think you can play one against the other. When you can try to be smart with everybody else, not sincere with anyone. That’s the policeman’s foreign policy and that is more than apparent here,” he added.
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