Being an Indian,
writing so hurts, but given the state of affairs, words find no other
alternative, even remote, in trying to see any ‘positive’!
India, India, the socialist and secular
state, that was envisioned to be a sovereign republic of global presence, has
come to be known as a spineless state in the global geopolitics.
Given
the historical credence that the country has had, it was a tough task (becoming
spineless) and the Constitution framers would never have thought of it after
the heavy price paid for the Independence.
But the
post-Independence politics has made it so easier that even small nations like Sri
Lanka or Nepal or Myanmar or even Maldives dare us and keep on making audacious
breaches and belligerent acts.
In
fact, India, the world’s fourth largest
economy and an emerging superpower, (? – as said somewhere), has no effective
(or no influence at all) on its neighbours. Pakistan is a sworn enemy. Don’t think of it. China is like Pakistan, will do all to harm the
Indian interests. Our condition in Afghanistan is
dependent on how the US wants us to be there. Our meekness and
indecisiveness has allowed China to
make significant inroads and interference in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal,
giving nightmares to India’s
Defence apparatus. Soldiers from Bangladesh brutally murder our soldiers and we,
as a country, cannot even protest effectively. Bhutan doesn’t matter on the global
geopolitical scale.
So, the
Italian betrayal in the Italian marines return issue should not be seen as a
surprise event.
Given
the diplomatic fiascos and foreign policy humiliations like Musharraf’s Agra
visit and the failed summit or Manmohan Singh’s empty bravado at
Sharm-el-Sheikh or Jawahar Lal Nehru’s refusal of the UNSC offer to India in
1954 because China’s status was not clear then, India, as a sovereign country,
has had a history of such misfires.
The
Italian Marines affair is just yet another one in the long list. And nothing is
going to happen except the verbal deliveries, and that, too, would be to
placate the internal outrage in the country. Yes, but the country needs a different
approach. Indians need India
to take a tough stand in this case and every other such case.
Italy learnt its lessons soon, it looks here. They let the
marines return when they had gone for the Christmas vacation as they might be
testing the waters then. The law of the land (India in this case) should not allow this
and I think it does not allow a prisoner or undertrial to let out of prison to
celebrate a festival. But the largesse of the Indian government and the
judicial system allowed this outrageous precedent, thinking more about the
killers who killed the two Indians and not about the Indians who were killed.
When
the Italians back home saw such a spineless act by the Indians, they would have
thought why not get the full out of it. After all, the issue of Italian
marines’ trial in India did figure highly as an issue in the Italian
politics. And lo, the Indian government soon offered them this opportunity when
its judicial system fell for it. It, happily, in its profound wisdom of
maintaining international camaraderie, let the undertrial Italians travel back
home in Italy to caste vote in the Italian general elections.
And that was it.
The
Italians grabbed the opportunity. They blocked the marines from returning
questioning India’s legal
sanctity in the case. They have smoothly and ‘friendly’ backstabbed the Indian
camaraderie slapping the Indian government and the judicial system directly in
the face.
But, it
is foolhardy to expect that the Indian government is going to learn any lessons
from it. The initial vagueness in responses of the prime minister and the
external affairs minister tells it. In fact, the way Indian government has
responded on the fiasco, deserves a separate call.