West Bengal governor and former national security advisor M K Narayanan said today the relationship with Pakistan is going nowhere. He was addressing a gathering at the launch of the Kolkata chapter of the Aspen Institute, India.
A key figure in the formulation of India’s policy towards Pakistan, Narayanan conceded that “we did see a thaw in the Musharraf years, but all that has changed now. (Pakistani army chief general Ashfaq) Kayani has brought about a metamorphosis, which is a matter of concern. There is no lessening of the Pakistani determination to use the terror card for destabilising India.”
Giving the benefit of doubt to the masses across the border, he said the power is vested in the “Pakistani establishment” and their reluctance to build bridges with India. Consequently, the “tentative efforts to broaden engagement” has not shown tangible results.
The WB governor’s observation is significant, as it comes days after the attempt to revive the Indo-Pak dialogue process following the meeting between prime minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani during the Saarc summit in Bhutan earlier this month.
Narayanan’s remarks — expressing his obvious disappointment over the ongoing Indo-Pak exercise to engage in talks — triggers a pertinent question about why the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) took the sudden decision to relieve him of his responsibilities as the NSA and appointed him as the West Bengal governor. Reportedly, policy differences led to the move.
He further said that in spite of India having done whatever it possibly could under the circumstances, the lack of trust between the two countries was the “biggest impediment” for Saarc being established as a viable trade bloc.
However, he did not say anything on the 26/11 terror attack and the death sentence handed out to the lone surviving Pakistani gunman, Ajmal Ali Amir Kasab.