Although US President Barack Obama's just concluded visit to India was aimed at energising the two countries strategic and economic relations (soon after arrival in Mumbai he announced trade deals worth $10 billion that are to support over 50,000 jobs in his country), he spent much public speaking time trying to strike a balance in his country's relations with two old rivals and their competing expectations.
A particularly interesting aspect of the visit was that although India is a rising economic power (many in India think it has already arrived) its obsession with Pakistan remains strong as ever. At a student gathering in Mumbai, a young woman asked the US president why Pakistan is not declared a terrorist state. It obviously was a naïve question. Obama gave a cautious response, very different from the British Prime Minister David Cameroon who, during his last August's visit to India in search of trade and business deals, delivered an unprovoked tirade against Pakistan, accusing it of exporting terrorism.
He did say that the country is not acting quickly enough to deal with militancy within its borders, but he also pointed out that "there are more Pakistanis who've been killed by terrorists inside Pakistan than probably anywhere else." Obama further told his audience that "if Pakistan is unstable, that's bad for India. If it's good and prosperous, that is good." Yet what caught the fancy of Indian media was that the questioner had sought a 'terrorist nation' label for Pakistan. It made her an instant celebrity, overwhelming her with talks show invitations and newspaper interviews. The episode says a lot about the Indian mindset that remains fixated on Pakistan despite the country's spectacular economic success.
New Delhi got what it wanted to hear from Obama during his address to parliament, where he averred to a resounding applause "we will continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that terrorist safe havens within their borders are unacceptable and that terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks be brought to justice." We are used to hearing the 'do more refrain' from all sorts of Americans. However, it needs to be said that India's sense of anger and indignation over the Mumbai atrocity is understandable, and deserves to be rectified as far as possible.
Obama had an even bigger prize to offer India: endorsement for a seat at the high table of UN Security Council permanent members. That, however, is no guarantee that India will get the coveted seat. First of all, it is not for the US to decide who gets the membership. And second, the issue of expanding the UNSC has been under discussion for a long time. There are other important candidates for permanent membership like Germany, Japan and Brazil.
They face challenges from their regional rivals. Another restraining factor is the UN reform programme, which includes suggestions for dilution of the permanent members' powers. It will take another decade or so before the reform programme comes to fruition. The US' endorsement of India's UNSC ambition therefore is more of a symbolic nature. Still, Pakistan must not remain complacent. It ought to get together with other interested countries to counter the move in the UN reform deliberations.
Obama was not expected to openly ask India to resolve Kashmir, yet many in Pakistan have expressed disappointment over the fact that he did not bring up the K word in any of his public utterances. Notably, however, driven by India's incorrigible Pakistan obsession, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it a point to mention Kashmir at a joint appearance to say his country is not afraid to deal with this or any other issue of contention with Pakistan. But his country remains averse to any third party intervention.
The US cannot pressure it, at least publicly, to resolve the issue. When it comes to core issues even Pakistan does dig in its heels, and gets its way, too.
Nonetheless, it is no secret that Obama wants India to settle its disputes with Pakistan, especially Kashmir, not for the love of Pakistan or the Kashmiris, but because he is interested in diffusing a nuclear flashpoint; and also because an unending confrontation with Pakistan will be a constant distraction for India, preventing it from acting as an effective countervail to China's growing power. Hence he advised his hosts to resume the dialogue process, expressing the hope that over time "trust develops between the two countries, that dialogue begins, perhaps on less controversial issues, building up to more controversial issues."
The US will say and do what suits its purposes. But we must stop comparing Pakistan with India, and vying for the US attention. India is a country on the move where British and American leaders come looking for lucrative business deals and to secure a share in its increasing wealth. Pakistan, on the other hand, has turned itself into a dependency due to sheer incompetence, insatiable greed and corruption of its ruling classes. It is pathetic to see our rulers asking for dole-outs from the US in return for services rendered. The US will remain a 'strategic partner' and an aid giver as long as its objectives so require.
Its partnership with India is based on longer term economic as well as strategic goals and hence is to endure. Which is why it has legitimised India's nuclear status with a civilian nuclear deal, and agreed to give it dual use technology as well. Obama's salute to its rising power status, through declaration of support for UNSC permanent membership, is meant to further strengthen that partnership.
Instead of seeking the US approval and financial backing, we need to put our own house in order. We must work towards economic self-reliance, and find home-grown solutions to the problem of militancy and the violence it causes all over the country. A worthwhile beginning in that direction would be Nawaz Sharif proposal to have all stakeholders sit together to draw up a new Charter of Pakistan. Our rulers must also try and get over their abiding fascination with the US, which has brought more harm than good to this country. In any case, putting all eggs in the same basket is never a wise policy.
Our foreign policy establishment must think of forging new alliances. There is both need and opportunity to build new ties and deepen old ones with the superpower-in-waiting, China. We must also try and seek friendship and economic collaboration with Russia and other countries in our extended West and Central Asian neighbourhood. A Pakistan strong and secure from within will not only be better able to deal with its old rival, but also to earn the respect and admiration of other nations - including the US'.saida_fazal@yahoo.com