Opinion Naval envy

On July 31,The Nation quoted Captain Alok Bhatnagar’s (director of naval plans at India’s ministry of defence) interview to the Financial Times: “India has plans to add about 100 warships to its navy over the next decade. New Delhi is sensitive to lagging behind Beijing’s naval might in the region. Officials are wary of port developments in neighbouring Pakistan and Sri Lanka that offer Chinese warships anchorages and potentially greater control of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.”

Three days after spreading alarm,the Daily Times on July 31 reported: “The first [Chinese F-22P Frigate was handed over to the Pakistan Navy in a ceremony in Shanghai on Thursday… the ceremony was followed by the commissioning of the ship,in which the Pakistani flag was hoisted on it. Naval Chief Noman Bashir said Pakistan was proud of its close association with China,adding that this unique relationship had no parallel in the world. The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and sensors and also carries a Z9EC helicopter.”

‘Giant’ statement

Dr Manmohan Singh has suddenly found a warm audience in Pakistan for his “apparently progressive” overtures towards Pakistan. The News quoted his Pakistani counterpart as saying on July 30: “We (at Sharm-el- Sheikh) had useful talks and a good meeting of minds. We agreed terrorism was a common threat. We also agreed dialogue was the only way forward. The PM commended Dr Singh for his bold vision of peace and prosperity in South Asia and the statesmanship that he has demonstrated.”

In its July 31 editorial,Daily Times also applauded Singh’s “statesmanship.” “The Indian prime minister,Dr Manmohan Singh,proved his political stature once again while defending his ‘Pakistan policy’ at the Lok Sabha on Wednesday,a policy that had been described by the Opposition as ‘capitulation to an enemy’ who had allowed its territory to be used for terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008. He has proved once again that he is indeed the ‘paradigmatic’ leader after Jawaharlal Nehru. India owes its new stature in the world to him after he changed the Nehruvian model of the economy in 1991 as finance minister. He is now about to change the Indo-Pak strategic equation if the politicians on both sides care to listen to him.”

Dawn’s editorial on July 31 realised that Dr Singh has been treading on eggshells since the furore on the joint statement broke out. “From the floor of the Lok Sabha,Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attempted a delicate balancing act on Wednesday. Indeed,Mr Singh emphasised that ‘dialogue and engagement is the best way forward’ and spoke appreciatively of the frank details provided by Pakistan in the latest dossier on the Mumbai attacks. Parsing the prime minister’s speech,then,it seems that he is still holding out one hand to Pakistan while trying to fend off his domestic detractors with the other.”