Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 28

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs last Friday on the issue of current state of relations with Pakistan.

The Tribune has learnt that the parliamentary panel held discussions for more than two hours to understand the government’s position on Pakistan and the state of ties since the Imran Khan-led government came to power in Islamabad in August this year.

Speaking to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity, a member said several questions were thrown to the top diplomat, including where do you stand vis-a-vis the new Islamabad government? Why was scheduled meeting at the level of foreign ministers called off after announcing acceptance of the Pakistani offer of talks? How long will this policy of no engagement continue? Why is there no consistency in the Modi government policy? 

On the question of the cancelled talks, sources said, Gokhale cited a spate of killings in Kashmir after meeting announcement as the prime reason for calling it off. However, members then cross questioned as to why was a meeting still held between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her then counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Nepal along SAARC sidelines in 2016, despite the Pathankot terror strikes? And why was an investigation team from across the border, including an ISI official allowed into the forward base? Was the Modi government hoodwinked or does it reflect lack of consistency with a declared policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’, asked members.

Incidentally, while three of the BJP members in the panel attending the meeting remained largely mum, one of them did ask Gokhale as to why did PM Modi and Swaraj send congratulatory messages to Imran Khan, to which the foreign secretary replied ‘it was a customary gesture’. The Opposition party members asked if the government position of ‘talks and terror cannot go together’ is tenable?                                             A member even suggested  the ping pong style of Chinese diplomacy to be practised with cricketer turned politician Imran Khan through cricket as tool.                                                              Some members underlined that cross-border terrorism continues from the Pakistani soil. Keeping in mind this hard reality, some members advocated “some form of engagement or dialogue. The panel led by Congress’ Shashi Tharoor includes 20 members from the LS and 10 from the RS. “We got the sense that a dialogue with Pakistan is now unlikely till the 2019 General Election given the domestic political compulsions,” said a member.

Posers to diplomat 

• Where do you stand vis-a-vis the new Pak government?
• Why was scheduled meeting at the level of foreign ministers called off?
• How long will this policy of no engagement continue?
• Why is there no consistency in the Modi govt policy?