The Congress as the 'king' of self-virtuous Sickular gang knows how to commit blunders.
More so when it comes to diplomacy and further more when it is linked to Pakistan. Its focus remains vote bank and rather quickly it also knows how to forget its own past mistakes. And then it will not end teaching all kinds of lessons to its political rivals.
The misadventure by the Manmohan Singh Govt in 2009 at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt was one such episode.
During the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said the Sharm El-Sheikh statement and its reference to Balochistan was a blunder.
(In July 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh.)
They issued a joint statement, which surprisingly mentioned Balochistan.
Returning to Pakistan, Gilani used that to attack India, saying the government had admitted to its role in fomenting trouble in its restive province.
Dr Singh left red-faced within months of return to power later called it a bad draft.
"In Sharm El-Sheikh, the then government and the Pakistani Prime Minister agreed that terrorism was a main threat to both countries," said Jaishankar.
"Today, people are saying America is hyphenating you [India], Russia is hyphenating you... I mean, you did not need a foreign country to say, 'Please link India to Pakistan'. Your own government was saying that terrorism are main threats to both countries," the foreign minister added.
Pakistan, which has been exporting terrorism into India right from its birth, has alleged that India supported the Baloch insurgents against the federal government.
Manmohan Singh and Gilani agreed that both countries would share real-time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats.
The fact is 'one sentence' using the name Balochistan later turned out to be a blunder.
"Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas."
This was projected by Islamabad as India indirectly accepting Pakistan's allegations that New Delhi was promoting insurgency in Balochistan.
This was totally an uncalled for episode given the geo political situation in 2009.
The scar of Mumbai 26/11 was still fresh in the minds and hearts of Indians.
"Both leaders agreed that terrorism is the main threat to both countries. Both leaders affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and to cooperate with each other to this end," said the statement released by the MEA on July 16, 2009.
Not just Balochistan, the inclusion of "other areas" in the joint statement gave room to Pakistan to spread its false narrative on India-backing insurgents elsewhere too.
Hence, the contention of Dr Jashankar today makes a lot of sense.
On Opposition query why the Operation Sindoor was paused and India did not further, Dr Jaishankar said in Lok Sabha on Monday (July 28th) -
"Please see who is asking this question.... This question is being asked by people who after 26/11, felt the action was inaction...".
Quoting from a book by a former NSA (under UPA government), Dr Jaishankar said - "After 26/11 .... he (the writer/former NSA) said -on sober reflection in hindsight I now believe the decision not to retaliate militarily but concentrate diplomatic (steps) was the right one...
But did he even do that ... because 26/11 happened on Nov 26, 2008; what was their reaction. The reaction was Sharm El-Sheikh (a city in Egypt where Manmohan Singh Govt allegedly bowed to Pakistani pursuaion)".
Dr Jaishankar further said -- Was it dilomatic, was it covert ... was it military. In Sharm El-Sheikh the then Govt (of Dr Singh) and the Pak PM agreed that terrorism is a main threat to both the countries.
"Today people are saying US is hyphenating, Russia is hyphenating (India and Pakistan) ..... you are hyphenating yourself."
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