The Pulwama incident has cast a pall of gloom across the country and reactions have ranged from the mature to the radical. Across India candle-light vigils and solemn tributes were paid to the martyrs whose lives were blown apart due to what is largely seen as a ‘major intelligence failure’ considering that there was enough intelligence output of the possibility of such an attack. A dispassionate analysis of the incident by security experts suggests careful planning, infiltration of an IED doctor (a technical person capable of fabricating IEDs) and a module fully functional at work with a network of over-ground workers. Pakistan is no stranger to the cacophonous nature of India’s democracy where the acquisition of defence equipments becomes subject of intense debate and acrimony and its defence capabilities are laid bare before the world. Democracy has its soft underbelly and that is the politicisation of every issue at the expense of national interests. At the moment there is a strong sense of national pride and the intent to seek retribution for the 40 lives lost. The question is how long will this ‘sense of defeat at the hands of the enemy’ last?
There are knee jerk reactions everywhere but a sustained policy for dealing with Pakistan is what is most needed today. The abrogation of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status by India in its trade relations with Pakistan is just one small step and will not make much impact considering that the balance of trade is in India’s favour. Trying to isolate Pakistan in the international community is also a futile effort considering China’s presence as the bulwark for Pakistan, due to its own geo-political and strategic interests in the region. These are the pitfalls of international diplomacy and strong nations tend to break all the rules of the game. They are interested in pushing their own dominant agenda of conquest and control even in this day and age of peace-building overtures based on economic cooperation. Every nation seeks to be the most powerful military and economic power and every other attempt to build a violence-free world fails at the altar of self interest.
In India, while the attempt to politicise the issue has been largely muted due to the fear that such stratagem might backfire and alienate even the non-partisan voter, subtle political devices are at work by certain political parties to turn this into electoral dividends. This should not be allowed to happen at any cost, least of all by the Party currently running the Government and looking for a triumphant return.