India maintains studied silence on Pak developments
KT NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, May 14: India officially maintains studied silence over the volatile situation in Pakistan while strategists fear the era of instability looming large over the neighbour would seriously hit the pece process and endanger security of the whole region.
The situation in Pakistan came up for discussion here on Monday with the Japanese delegation led by its Deputy Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon could not resist from giving an Indian perspective.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna, however, refused to share with the Media Menon's views except to state that "we briefed Japan the political developments emerging around us in South Asia." Since Japan has now an observer status in the SAARC, the visiting officials were interested to know about the political developments in the region.
Experts here believe that the spiraling situation would adversely affect India's foreign policy at a time when the peace process has reached a crucial juncture.
Commenting on the recent developments that also included a blood bath in Karachi, noted strategic expert Prof.
Muni maintains that a substantive progress on the critical points of peace process will get slowed down as the anti-Musharraf protests progress further.
He said a weak Musharraf will neither be able to carry forward peace process not enact any agreement with India.
Therefore, he cautions that New Delhi should not completely rely on President Musahrraf but angle on others also to sustain the peace process.
Experts agree that the India-Pakistan peace process was at a tenuous stage and a tense and volatile Pakistan could impact it negatively.
India's official position is that it will deal with any government in Pakistan, but Prof.
Muni says that it would be na‹ve to believe that a civilian government in Islamabad would have a positive impact on peace process.
"It depends on the nature of civilian government.
If it doesn't come through a broad consensus or fundamentalists are part of if or is not backed by the Army, the things may go out of hand," he adds.
India's position is that a stable and prosperous Pakistan is in the best interest of the peace process.
Muni believes that a volatile situation would have a far-reaching affect on regional stability in South Asia.
He said that situation will have a direct bearing on Afghanistan and the volatile situation in Baluchistan, Waziristan may go out of hand.
These developments are going to have a serious and long term affect on India's stability.
India is also concerned that political turbulence in Paksitan has taken over at a time when the presidential as well as national assembly elections are due.