ACCEPT THE BLUNDER MR. PRIME MINISTER

Today Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is going to give a clarification in the parliament on the Indo-Pak joint statement issued after he met Pakistan prime Minister in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. The statement which has created uproar in the country over apparent diplomatic blunder by India by allowing a mention of Balochistan as a contentious issue and separating the process of composite dialogue from Pakistan’s action on terror emanating from their soil targeting India.

Whatever PM Manmohan Singh may have to say, it is not going to make any difference to the leverage his agreement on the joint statement has already given to Pakistan. No political leader of India, let alone a prime minister, has ever done such an incalculable harm to India’s credibility in the world by allowing a reference to Balochistan in the joint statement. It has created ground for suspicion about India’s alleged role in fomenting trouble in Pakistan’s volatile province of Balochistan. The mere mention is enough to create such suspicion even if there is absolutely no evidence of India’s role in creating trouble in Pakistan. It is not true because India’s external intelligence unit RAW has no infrastructure in Pakistan to carry out any activities against Pakistan’s interest in Baluchistan or, for that matter, anywhere in Pakistan. Already the Pak army chief has reportedly stated that Pakistan’s army would take action against Lashkar-e-Taiba if the US asked India to stop messing around in Balochistan and already US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Mr. Richard Holbrook has indicated to India to address Pakistan’s concern about Balochistan. What a blunder! No statement from Prime Minister today will be able to wriggle India out of the corner the PM has pushed it into. He might try to twist words and offer different interpretation but it will be like fooling the nation and like adding salt to its injured pride. He might also say that the reference to Balochistan was allowed because there was nothing to hide. It will be like saying to the police investigating a murder that you have nothing to do with that murder and hoping that the police will take my statement on face value and not investigate or harass you further. Only thing the PM can, and should, do is to accept that it was a blunder and apologize to the nation. It should not be a difficult gesture for a humble and sincere person in our prime minister. Our respect for him will only go up with his such action. Best of luck honorable Prime Minister.