Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to discuss in Parliament on Wednesday the India-Pakistan joint statement. He will,it is expected,reply to a range of questions that have seized the opposition primarily on the detail in de-bracketing terrorism from the composite dialogue and on the mention of Balochistan. The discussion should help nuance the political depth required for an attempt as bold and therefore as risky as Dr Singhs effort to win diplomatic flexibility in Indias engagement with Pakistan. After all,this quest for flexibility to broad-base Indias engagement so as to get as many stakeholders as possible to the peace process reaches back to the NDAs tenure,and the prime ministers current initiative builds on the successes and failures of earlier efforts. Thus,his indication of eagerness to clarify and reply to all questions is welcome. Out of the din of political posturing could emerge a clearer picture of the political will in this country to think big and forward,to weigh the phrases of a draft against the diplomatic reorientation it could bring.
This is why the silence in the Congress party mystifies. In the long week since the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting,an impression has been emitted or perhaps spun by sections of the party that there exists a buffer zone between the party and the government. Congress spokespersons persisted for too many days in refusing to comment on the joint statement,and drawing a line of separation with the argument that the party need not say anything on the joint statement. As one of them put it,If you need any further clarification,go to the Government of India. Can it be that simply put,even in the earliest days of a government initiative or announcement? In fact,does a political party even have the option of weighing and watching so that it could cut its losses if a risky government strategy eventually goes wrong?
