White Man’s burden

Since the West took on the role of being the guarantor of Musharraf’s promises, India reciprocated in good faith. Pakistani aircraft were now allowed to overfly India, warships were sent back to base and there has been a perceptible lowering of temperatures on the border.

But that, surely, is not the end of the script drafted this torrid summer? What about some de-escalation on the part of the West? Over the last few weeks, the Grey Suits have played the politics of the travel advisory with great panache. In tandem with stories that appeared in the western media forecasting the imminent nuclear Armageddon on the subcontinent, came those tersely worded messages from the US State Department, at first suggesting, and then insisting that American citizens ‘‘defer travel to India’’; at first advising and then instructing Americans currently in India to depart forthwith.

Before long, the panic had spread like a forest fire, with Britain getting into the act, followed by the governments of Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Japan, issuing their own Quit India notices. Indeed, if any initiative had an escalatory effect on prevailing tensions, it was this. What was most unfortunate was that this panic wave did not in the least reflect the ground reality in this country of continental proportions. On the contrary, it was the beeline for the airline counters that set the alarm bells ringing, as markets slumped, investor sentiment got dampened and the hitherto brisk movement of tourist traffic to and from India slowed down.

This calls for two immediate responses. The West should now seriously reconsider the relevance of their travel advisories, roll back the move and work towards establishing normalcy in the region once again.

The Indian government, on its part, must make it its business to ensure that all this does indeed happen, by not just countering the move but the propaganda that has accompanied it. And they must do this in a pro-active fashion — through diplomatic channels, through commercial networks and through the media. Yes, we want a de-escalation of tensions, and we want it now.