Party draft mum on post-Sept 11 geopolitics

The document was released by senior leaders K. Natwar Singh and Salman Khurshid — who have been ministers in the MEA — former foreign secretary J.N. Dixit and party strategist Jairam Ramesh.

‘‘The government completely failed in containing and countering terrorism sponsored by Pakistan,’’ the document said. ‘‘The claim of the PM that normalisation of relations with Pakistan is his most important achievement is ludicrous,’’ it added.

Though a trifle vague on specifics, the Congress promised to ‘‘retain for India freedom of options in conducting its foreign relations in response to India’s national interests in a world which is in transition and ferment’’. The implied criticism was of the Vajpayee government’s alleged ‘‘pro-American tilt’’.

Referring to talks between Jaswant Singh and Strobe Talbott after the 1998 Pokharan tests, the document said India had been reduced to a ‘‘subordinate relationship’’ with the US and ‘‘accepted the mediator role for the US in Indo-Pakistani relations’’. Astonishingly, the document finds no mention of 9/11 or the intensifying of Indo-US ties after that.

The perception that the Congress’ foreign policy managers may be in a bit of a time warp was only heightened when the document spoke of dealing with Pakistan as per the ‘‘Simla agreement of 1972 and subsequent agreements … initiated by later Congress governments’’.