India’s Rising On The Global Horizon. (column: Spy’s Eye).

India’s rising on the global horizon. (Column: Spy’s Eye).

PAR D.C.PATHAK The narrow narrative about domestic politics is marked by a misinterpretation of nationalism and the projection of Modi’s strong governance as an emblem of authoritarianism.What stands out boldly in stark relief, however, is India’s rapid international progress to be recognized as a significant power in influencing issues such as war and peace.It is an important development.

 India’s Rising On The Global Horizon. (column: Spy’s Eye).-TeluguStop.com

It is possible to recall that the regime before Modi’s arrival on the national stage was a time when corruption was at its highest, policy-making was weakest, and development was subordinated in favour of communal politics.

There was no independent assessment of India’s security against hostile neighbors in the field of foreign policy.A kind of towing the American line at that time was evident.

This was evident in the Indian reaction to 26/11, when it was apathetically accepted by the US that the terrible attack on Mumbai was caused by ‘non-state actors’ in Pakistan.The Pak army was not to blame for the incident.

All of this was done to maintain the Indo-Pak dialog in which the US was keen for strategic reasons.

His personal integrity, strong control over the administrative machinery, and willingness to make bold decisions are some of the reasons Prime Minister Modi rose quickly to prominence.

Indians wanted such a leader of their national government.Indians were looking for strong national security policies and, while seeking economic growth, have not been afraid to give up their personal comfort to help the country.

It is pertinent to remember how the people of India responded positively to Prime Minister Shastri’s request to skip one meal a week in the challenging environment created by 1965 Indo-Pak conflict.

Since Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, assumed responsibility for internal security, terrorist attacks have been stopped, communal violence has been managed, and voices opposing symbols of nationalism have seemed to be quietened.The Union Home Minister Amit Shah has sent a clear message to all states, urging them to act against violence and to uphold their primary responsibility to maintain law and order.Today’s threat to India’s safety isn’t so much an external attack but rather a ‘new proxy warfare’ where hostile lobbyists both at home and overseas, instigated and encouraged by the enemy, sought to undermine the faith of citizens that one nation, univocal peoples and strong national security are possible.This covert effort should be stopped by public education about the role of citizens in protecting a democracy and by invoking legal action for any violation of laws that affect the maintenance of national security.

As part of his “development for all” mission, Prime Minister Modi launched several people-related projects.

He also suspended negotiations with Pakistan due to cross-border terrorism.This sent a strong message to America that his policy of hyphenating India/Pakistan and distinguishing between good terrorists and bad terrorists would not work.He stuck with his line “terror and negotiations don’t go together” despite pressure from abroad and at home, and mobilised international opinion against terrorists being harboured in Pakistan.What’s more, he built strong relationships with the US, first under Donald Trump, and then later during the Biden Presidency, on the basis of mutuality in interests in both the economic and security spheres.His presence with a highly competent National Security Advisor has been a major factor in the success of Prime Minister Modi’s policies.

The current developments in Pak-Afghan have created a significant security risk for India.

They revolve around the US withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the battlefield of their longest war on terror.This was after negotiations with Taliban.

Ajit Doval (NSA) hosted the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, a meeting of countries from the Afghan neighborhood at Delhi’s National Security Advisors on November 10.It was a very productive initiative that allowed us to examine the entire Afghan situation.The unrecognized Taliban government was invited to the round table.This meeting effectively brought together countries concerned about Afghanistan’s security and created an atmosphere of convergence on terrorist threats posed by the Taliban Emirate’s return to Kabul.

It also highlighted the rise of “radicalisation” in the region.Conferencing specifically called on the Taliban government not to use Afghan territory for terrorist activity.

India had invited Russia, which is a member of the Central Asian Republics.All five Central Asian Republics, including Uzbekistan (Tajikistan), Kazhakhstan.

Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, also accepted India’s invitation.China and Pakistan, though they were invited to the meeting, stayed away.

The former questioning India’s credibility and the latter following its bigger geopolitical strategy of aligning with Pakistan.They were absent to highlight the collusive nature of the Sino-Pak alliance in supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

India was wise to also invite Iran – while the Shiite nation may be facing problems with Israel and the US, the Iranian Islamic radicals harbor extreme hatred towards Shias.This puts Iran and India on the exact same side as far as the Taliban is concerned.For India this is strategic importance.India might not have invited the US to the regional dialog considering that the Biden Presidency was still dealing with American withdrawal from Afghanistan in embarrassingly chaotic circumstances, marked by hostilities of the Taliban.This was despite the Doha Agreement.India’s efforts on Afghanistan would be welcomed by the US in all likelihood.

India has gained a crucial lead on Afghanistan through the Delhi meeting.This regional conference hosted by the NSA is a good thing.Afghanistan’s Taliban Emirate poses more of a security issue than a diplomatic problem.The democratic world was still pondering whether to recognize this regime.

The Delhi Dialogue was attended by the NSAs from the Central Asian Republics surrounding Afghanistan.They were all dominated by Muslim countries and saw the danger of radicalization if Afghanistan’s Taliban had a free hand.

Conference adopted the “Delhi Declaration”, which reaffirmed participating countries’ commitment to fight terrorism in all forms and manifestations, including financing terrorist infrastructure and counter radicalisation to make sure that Afghanistan is not a haven for international terrorism.The conference expressed deep concern over Afghanistan’s socio-economical and humanitarian crisis and called for urgent aid.It stressed the need to establish a ‘truly inclusive and open government in Afghanistan’ that includes representation from all segments of Afghan society.This would also uphold fundamental rights for women, children, and minorities.

Important is the fact that this statement is as complete and comprehensive as the democratic world could wish it to be.It goes a long ways in disapproving the international rise of Islamic extremism, and radicalism that was engendered by the return of Kabul Emirate.

This event is a strategic win for India as well as helping the two biggest democracies in the world lead global efforts against radicalisation and any threat to a new global terror.

The Biden administration is currently focusing on the Communist dictatorship in China in the Indo-Pacific.

This is in spite of President Xi Jinping’s express intention to make China the second superpower.It seems that it has lost sight of the Sino-Pak strategic alliance, which had grown a notch more since the emergence and fall of Taliban in Afghanistan.

It is important for the US to examine the implications of the existence of both a Communist regime, and a country that supports Islamic radicals and who are politically on the same side in the emerging “Cold War” between China and the US.This was evident in the Ajit Doval hosted conference on NSAs.Pakistan responded in a predictable fashion to India’s initiative to Afghanistan.It called a meeting with the three big countries – the US, Russia, and China.

The event was held at Islamabad, close to the Delhi summit.Pakistan is aware that its involvement in Afghanistan has led to it being considered a low-income country in this part of the world.

However, it has realized that the Biden Presidency valued Pakistan’s friendship in Doha negotiations as well as its role in the Saudi-led bloc in the Muslim world which was pro-US.The US policy makers seem to have begun to take note of Pakistan’s role in the “war on terror” and are now analysing the geopolitical implications of Sino-Pak cooperation.

India has been playing well with its relations to the Pak Afghanistanistan Belt on one side and China’s aggression on both the maritime front and at the border on the other.

He has elevated India from a minor power to a global leader in economic and security cooperation.

A combination of policies has made this possible, relying upon bilateral relations that are free from any ideologic baggage and demonstrating political will to make hard decisions.The Modi government was able to react to Chinese aggression on the LAC by building up a similar defence, and to actively partner with Quad in order to send a message through the surgical strike of Balakot to Pakistan that India is going to punish any mischief.

At various forums, including at the UN General Assembly (G20), SCO, and Quad, Prime Minister Modi has demonstrated that India is a strong believer in international peace and economic cooperation.

India has combined its call for joint combating terrorism with an initiative to prevent Covid (which has already been recognized by the rest of the world) and collaboration in technology development.

Despite the disruptions that India’s opponents made at home, Modi’s leadership is helping India to shine internationally.

(The author is an ex-Director Intelligence Bureau member)

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