Bull's Eye

India's foreign policy relies on Pandit Nehru. But it's the wrong PanditNehru. The one who 'lived in an artificial world of his own creation'. It shouldrely on Pandit Nehru after 1962. Betrayed by China, he pledged retribution. He had learntpainfully that non-alignment did not ensure strength. Strength ensured non-alignment. Hewanted India to be militarily strong. He sought help from the US. He wanted Kashmir tobecome a bridge between India and Pakistan. He blessed Sheikh Abdullah's visit toPakistan for this purpose. But Nehru died while the Sheikh was in Pakistan.

A nation's policies may change with the international situation. Its goals remainconstant. The international situation is changing. Nehru's post-1962 goal remainsvalid.

The US-China-Pakistan alliance that created the Afghan mujahideen to counter Sovietcommunism has fallen apart. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Osama bin Laden, a productof the alliance, turned against the US. That left China and Pakistan. China clandestinelysupported Pakistan in Kargil and supplied arms to the mujahideen. It opposed UN sanctionsagainst the Taliban. It justified its cooperation with Taliban by telling the world thatit wanted to insulate it from Xinjiang's Uighur Muslims.

Were this true, Beijing wouldn't have given open support to the Pakistan army,which was training Uighur Muslims with other terrorists. Recently, China told Pakistan toexecute the Uighur Muslims being trained by its army.

Probably the US squeeze against Islamist terrorism had started to hurt. China now can'tafford to be isolated from the world. Russia, India, Iran, Turkey, Israel and the centralAsian powers all support the US in the fight against terrorism.

So China is ready to turn. This month it is likely to support a UN Security Councilresolution imposing crippling new sanctions against the Taliban. After the sanctions, theTaliban will find it tough exporting drugs and terrorists and importing arms. In time, thesanctions will decrease Taliban pressure on Kashmir. That is why it's time to talkwith the Hurriyat.

It is not time to talk with Musharraf. Let him first fight the fundamentalistFrankenstein he has helped create in Pakistan. Neither is it time to talk with China.India must first settle with Pakistan. Meanwhile, China might become more democratic.Talks would be more fruitful then. India and China are one-third of humankind. Together,they could decisively influence the agenda for a New World Order.

But that will have to wait.

Forgetting right or wrong
They sing the same song.
Without a destination
They try to lead the nation!