Window dressing at its most absurd. Almost brutal in itscasualness. The brouhaha over the'projected' relaxation of visa rules between India and Pakistan is largelycringe worthy because it comes in the same breath as Hina Rabbani Khar’s adviceto 1.2 billion Indians to get over 26/11 and move on and not stay emotionalabout it. Put that gratuitous and tactless remark alongside the complete lackof interest by India in the status of Sarabjit Singh and Mr Krishna’s folderolis just some foreign policy rock and roll to make his government look like theyhave the nation’s well-being in hand. They’ve messed up the economy, now let’smess up the already scrambled foreign policy.
Anything so vital as loosening the border crossings beingannounced sans deadline of when all this will go into force and releasing itonly minutes into the summit meetingsmacks of slippery cleverness, not sincerity. You cannot make such publicstatements of intent unless some homework has been done. It requires verylittle genius to see that this was just a populist PR move and has the depth ofa paddle pool to it.
If you slice the salami, so to speak, you get slivers ofnothingness. For one, you have to be over 65 to get a look in, which kind ofputs it all into perspective. The nostalgia train has long left the station andpre-1947 tourism recalls are not likely to boost anything. Since reporting yourpresence to the police on a daily basis still stays in place it scarcely makesfor a happy trip.
Then again, there is this laughable bit about eminentbusinessmen being given exemption from the police reporting. What is an eminentbusinessman and why is he like Caesar’s wife…above reproach. Contrary to thenaïve Indian stance, eminent businessmen are known to finance all sorts ofhanky-panky and fund terrorism, so such a flimsy category makes no sense. Ifonly the foreign ministry could answer where the eminence starts and who losesout by a whisker?
A pre-election gimmick at best, it is doomed to failure.Actually that is not true. Nothing can fail if it starts as nothing. And thisis a cipher. Indeed, since the Simla summit of 1971, most of these exercisesincluding the ‘me and my bus’ ride by Atal Bihari Vajpayee fall by the waysideonce the plane of the visiting delegation leaves the surly bonds of earth.
Unlike the US where foreign policy for the global cop hangup that permeates Washington’s psyche and colours White House incumbents with asense of hubris, Indian foreign policy is not an electoral issue of greatvalue. Indians don’t really care whom New Delhi befriends so long as they beatPakistan in cricket. Lack of public pressure and rampant ignorance in thefourth estate about matters universal have allowed India’s foreign policy tobumble along myopically for 60 years without any accountability. Even today theodds are that the mandarins of media are hailing this breakthrough and engagingin much backslapping. Pious little editorials about how wonderful it all is…andhurrah SM for your heroic initiative...really? Really?
As for the Indo-Pak equation per se, neither side is seriousabout bettering relations. If they were, they would have done it by now. On thecontrary, the reverse is true and the present situation is freighted withdeeper concern than the fiction over this superficial treatment of the visaissue.
Once the Indians string up Kasab who now is literally ondeath row, there go love and kisses and the two neighbours will return tosquare one.
