US Senator Sam Brownback arrives in India amid protests

NEW DELHI, JAN 13: In the face of repeated American rejection this week of India's pleas to declare Pakistan a terrorist'' state, the Go...

NEW DELHI, JAN 13: In the face of repeated American rejection this week of India8217;s pleas to declare Pakistan a 8220;terrorist8221; state, the Government has valiantly continued to point out the consequences of 8220;legitimising8221; General Pervez Musharraf8217;s coup.

Senator Sam Brownback, the author of one piece of US legislation late last year waiving American sanctions against India, arrived in New Delhi today to a chorus of Indian criticism about US 8220;shortsightedness and expediency8221; over persisting in taking the 8220;soft8221; line with Pakistan.

In meetings with defence secretary T R Prasad and a roomful of Indian strategic thinkers this afternoon, Brownback was subjected to unabashed and vociferous opposition to Washington8217;s line thus far: Dubbing Pakistan a 8220;terrorist8221; state would amount to loss of leverage in a state in which the US has invested so heavily for so many decades.

Brownback is also known in Delhi as the man who, one day after the coup in Pakistan on October 12, defended the need to further engagePakistan, especially the Pakistani army, the seat of power.

In a hearing of the US sub-committee on Near Eastern and South Asian affairs on October 13, Brownback even pointed out that Washington shouldn8217;t have persuaded Islamabad to withdraw from Kargil and that the coup was perhaps a manifestation of the consequent power struggle in Pakistan. Strategic analysts and government officials in the capital, then, saw red. Under attack today for his line, Brownback is said to have persisted with the validity of US realpolitik8217;. The US disengagement from Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal, he said, resulted in the chaos evident in that country today. The consequences of disengaging from Pakistan would be worse, he added.

Former foreign secretary J N Dixit, present at the meeting, asked Brownback in what areas did he visualise a 8220;convergence8221; between India and the US.8220;Business, science and technology,8221; were priorities, the Senator said, adding that 8220;limited cooperation in security8221; issues waspossible.

Brownback8217;s approach has, however, not been unique. In Delhi this week, US Senators and Congressmen as well as the US admiral in charge of the Pacific Command Dennis Blair, have been seen to be singularly unenthusiastic about fighting the joint fight with India against terrorism, preferring to advance a far more 8220;modest agenda8221;.

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Four US Democrat Senators, Tom Daschle, Christopher Dodd, Harry Reid and Daniel Akaka, flew to Pakistan last night after 4 days in Delhi and Agra.