Indian foreign policy: timidity begets contempt

Maj Gen Mrinal Suman (Gfiles Jul 2009)

Media coverage of repeated attacks on Indian students in Australia has hurt the collective conscience of the nation. On an average, 2 to 3 attacks per week have been taking place since 2004. According to the Victoria Police Commission, 1,083 cases of robbery and assault were reported against Indians in 2007-08 and the figure increased to 1,447 in 2008-09. Indian Government and the High Commission were fully aware of the increasing atrocities but decided not to intervene.

The credit for highlighting the plight of Indian students goes to the media. Amitabh Bachchan declined to accept an honorary doctorate from the Queensland University of Technology, stating “my conscience does not permit me to accept this decoration from the country where citizens of my own country are subjected to such acts of inhuman horror.” Bollywood has decided not to shoot in Australia till the Australian Government takes effective steps.

The reaction of the Indian Government has been typical of its wont and timid demeanour. It has taken no concrete action even as the attacks continue and the Australian Government refuses to accept it as racist violence. While urging the Australian Government to prevent such attacks, India counseled students to exercise restraint. Despite Indian sensitivities and protestations, Australia had branded India unsafe for the Davies Cup tie recently. India could have easily forced the Australian Government on the back foot by issuing an advisory against visiting Australia on similar grounds. In any case, Australia is no great friend of India. It opposes Indian nuclear policy vehemently and has stubbornly declined to export uranium to India.

India’s foreign policy has been a chronicle of abject servility, utter timidity, sheer gutlessness and inexplicable reticence. It is characterised by a total lack of aggressive protection of Indian interests. The foreign office appears more concerned about the sensitivities of other nations rather than looking after its citizens. While masquerading as a growing super power, it behaves like a weakling in its foreign affairs.

In January 2008, the Indian Prime Minister was advised not to visit Tawang (an integral part of India), lest China gets irked. There cannot be a more shameful example of dismal surrender of India’s sovereign rights over its own areas. Similarly, India went overboard to ensure safe passage of the Olympic torch in April 2008 as China had expressed its disapproval of pro-Tibet protests.

Last year, India’s envoy to Beijing was called in the middle of the night for absurd reasons. Even a banana republic would have taken offence. But, India is different. Its ambassador to Beijing promptly reported to the Chinese foreign ministry without a whimper of protest. Let the South Block try the same with the Chinese ambassador in New Delhi. Even a peon from the Chinese embassy will not respond. That is India, a nation with the pretensions of being an emerging power in the world arena.

A look at India’s foreign policy record with respect to Pakistan is equally revealing. Kashmir issue was taken to the Security Council when India was on the verge of ejecting all aggressors and reclaiming the whole state. Strategic Haji Pir Pass was handed back to Pakistan in Tashkent in the misplaced hope of placating Pakistan to behave like a responsible neighbour. Hard won victory in 1971 War with Pakistan was lost on the negotiating tables of Shimla. India returned over 80,000 Pak soldiers while Indian soldiers continue to rot in Pak jails. Naivety of Indian foreign policy framers has ensured that all gains made in the battlefields are frittered away subsequently.

Let us take a look at Pak response to such Indian gestures. Pakistan captured an Indian patrol led by Lt Saurabh Kalia in May 1999 from the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kargil. Defying all conventions on the treatment of Prisoners of War, Pakistanis chopped off various limbs and private organs of the hapless Indian soldiers besides inflicting unimaginable physical and mental torture. After 22 days of torture, the brave soldiers were ultimately shot dead.

Had such treatment been meted out to Israeli soldiers, Israel would have made Pakistan pay dearly for it. In case US soldiers were brutalised in this manner, the US would have obtained custody of the guilty and tried them in the US for war crimes. Instead of hauling Musharraf before international law commissions for crimes against humanity, India allows him to roam free in India as an honoured guest to propagate his anti-Indian views.

Recently, over 50 Indian passengers flying Air France were subjected to blatantly racial treatment and kept in inhuman conditions for 28 hours at Paris airport with little food and water. Any self respecting country would have punished Air France for its misconduct. But the Indian government remained totally unconcerned and apathetic.

Indian embassies and High Commissions are notorious for their unhelpful attitude and indifferent demeanour. Every Indian visitor is considered a nuisance and shunned from one desk to the other. Most of the staff remains busy managing VIP visits.

There are four main reasons for the inability of Indian foreign office to safeguard Indian interests:-

· Lack of Accountability. Like all bureaucratic organisations, Indian foreign office has no concept of fixing responsibility. No one was sacked for the ill-advised military intervention in Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Indian envoy in Beijing was not questioned for embarrassing the country by responding at midnight. The list is endless.

· Burden of Obligations. It is common knowledge that almost all foreign office functionaries are under personal obligation of Western countries. Their children have been granted green cards and citizenships as favours. Even mediocre offspring are accommodated in foreign universities with liberal scholarships. It will be highly revealing if complete data of all such ‘diplomatic gratifications’ is made public. It will prove the normally held belief that external influences govern Indian foreign policy.

· Networking for Future. All bureaucrats crave for lucrative appointments under UNO, World Bank and other international organisations. They know that their candidature would need positive support from the developed nations. Therefore, they never say or do anything that can irk them. Need for continued ‘good behaviour’ renders Indian diplomats incapable of taking up Indian issues forcefully.

· Servile Attitude and Slavish Mindsets. Despite the fact that India has been Independent for over six decades, it still suffers from an acute inferiority complex when it comes to interacting with the developed nations. It is a most disgusting sight to see Indian officials clasping a foreign dignitary’s hand with both hands rather than shaking hands in a normal manner. Such slavish mindset prevents objective and forthright conduct.

Pretentiousness of an emerging power must be matched by a determination to stand for national prestige. Great nations are distinguished by their self-confidence and self-respect. India fares miserably on both counts. Indian foreign office would do well to remember the old saying – “If you behave like a foot mat, you will be treated like one”. It is time foreign office mandarins show some spine. Let no country dare to take India lightly and inflict insults on its citizens.