Congress promises foreign policy with political realism

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government of grave failures on the management of foreign and defence policies, the Congress on Saturday promised to infuse the country's foreign policy with 'political realism' making it responsive to the changes in international situations and global power equations.

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Unveiling its agenda on security, defence and foreign policy, the party said if elected to power it will pay particular attention to fashioning a "stable, working, cooperative" relationship with Pakistan under the framework of the historic Simla Agreement of 1972 and subsequent agreements and confidence-building measures initiated by Congress governments well up to 1996.

This would be done while remaining alert about India's defence requirement and being firm in responding to any threats emanating from Pakistan, the party said.

The 12-page document, released by senior party leader K Natwar Singh and former foreign secretary J N Dixit, lashed out at the NDA government's policies related to Pakistan, saying it was a "saga of contradictions and confusion."

It said whether in Lahore or at Agra, the NDA government  showed a "singular lack of advance preparation leading to disastrous consequences."

The party contended that because of the "lack of foresight," Lahore was followed by Kargil and Agra led to a fresh phase of tensions in Indo-Pak relations.

The NDA government "completely failed" in containing and countering terrorism sponsored by Pakistan, the party charged.

The document notes that following the terrorist attack on Parliament, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had declared that "India would fight the Pakistani menace to the finish." But a few months later a peace initiative with Pakistan was undertaken.

The Congress charged that the NDA government has 'deliberately and mischievously' used tensions with Pakistan to polarise the society and call into question the patriotic credentials of a very large number of country's men and women.

The party deprecated Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani's reported statement that only BJP could make peace with Pakistan because that would make it acceptable to the religious majority in the country.

"This is a dangerous and pernicious argument and is an extension of the 'two-nation' theory first put forward by the RSS almost eight decades back," it said.