A day before he meets US President Barack Obama as his first state guest, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday articulated India’s position on key issues like global terrorism, non-proliferation and its relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan, which are slated to figure prominently in Tuesday’s deliberations.
Setting the tone for his official engagements, the PM used his address to the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations today to reproach Pakistan (without naming it) for what he described as a “selective approach” to terrorism and renewed his offer of talks with Islamabad provided it abjured violence.
Referring to the upcoming first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which India has consistently maintained were masterminded by Pakistan-based terror groups, the PM said, “We should not harbour any illusions that a selective approach to terrorism, tackling it one place while ignoring it in others, will work.” Since Islamabad is Washington’s key ally in its ongoing war against the Taliban and Al-Qaida, the reference to a “selective approach” on terrorism in the PM’s speech is to underline that the terror infrastructure in Pakistani territory used to launch attacks against India remain intact.
With Washington showing signs of endorsing Pakistan’s reservations about India’s growing presence in Afghanistan, the PM pointed out that India does not see Afghanistan as a theatre of influence.
“Our interest is in building a region of peace and stability. India will continue to assist Afghanistan in building its institutions and its human resources.” The sub-text here is that despite Islamabad’s objections, New Delhi will not dilute its presence or its activities in Afghanistan.
Although the implementation of the Indo-US landmark civil nuclear deal inked last year is high on PM’s personal agenda and will figure in tomorrow’s discussions, he did not refer to it directly in this speech.
On the other hand, PM chose to address the current Democrat administration’s concerns on non-proliferation. The PM welcomed President Obama’s commitment to a “world free of nuclear weapons and
emphasised that India has also been committed to this goal. “We believe that India’s security will be enhanced, not diminished, by the complete elimination of nuclear weapons the world over,” he
said. Stating that India and US can do much together in reducing the global risks of nuclear proliferation, he said the two countries can play an important role in strengthening global resolve to prevent terrorists from gaining access to materials and technologies related to weapons of mass destruction.
This was an indirect reference to Pakistan where increasing terror attacks have raised concerns about the safety of nuclear
facilities.
On climate change, a contentious issue on which India has differences with the United States, the PM clarified that India was willing to work on a solution, which will not compromise the economic growth of developing countries. While reiterating India’s opposition to time-bound legally binding emission curbs, he gave details about the national action plans initiated voluntarily by India to deal with the adverse impact of climate change.
