Terrorism — especially the threat posed by Pakistani militants to India — dominated the recently concluded BRICS summit at Goa.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Pakistan as the ‘mother-ship’ of terrorism in South Asia and advocated its diplomatic isolation by the international community.
Although other BRICS members agreed on the need to counter terrorism as a global threat, they remained silent on the problem faced by India from Pakistan-backed terrorist groups.
A meeting of the seven BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Scientific and Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries, which include Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal, too debated terrorism and supported India.
But a day after the BRICS summit ended, China responded to Modi’s remarks by saying it opposes the linking of any specific country, region or religion to terrorism. Beijing said Pakistan was as much a victim of terrorism as India and that Islamabad had made big ‘sacrifices’ while fighting the menace.
China’s response seemed to imply that Modi was perhaps politically motivated in his attack on Pakistan. China’s reaction, though predictable being an “all-weather ally” of Pakistan, came as a setback to Modi’s drive to diplomatically isolate Pakistan. It also hinted at the growing tensions between India and China.
Responding to Modi’s “mother-ship” of terror remarks, Islamabad accused him of deliberately misleading the international community and trying to cover up India’s human rights violations in Kashmir. He said the Kashmiris could not be accused of terrorism, they were only demanding their right to self-determination.
The argument raised the question of what constitutes terrorism and whether the so called “freedom struggle” could be designated as “terrorist”. A proper definition of the term was called for but participants at BRICS summit ignored the issue.
Ideally, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation needs to work out a proper definition of terrorism in the regional context and formulate a strategy of regional cooperation in the fight against terrorism linked with drugs-trafficking, money-laundering, arms-trafficking and espionage, which are designated as multinational systemic crimes in the literature.
There is thus considerable scope for regional cooperation between India and Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. They have only to rise to the occasion.
Undeterred by China’s silence on Pakistan, Modi claimed in his concluding statement at Goa that BRICS states viewed that “those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor such forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves.”
But the formal Summit Declaration of 109 paragraphs does not reflect this consensus.
The proceedings of the BRICS summit in Goa exposed important differences among India, China and Russia and also raised issues regarding the role of some non-participating countries such as Pakistan and the United States.
Relations between India and Pakistan worsened under the Modi regime. After assuming office in 2014, he made it clear that Pakistan must vacate PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) illegally seized by it in 1947.
At the Goa summit, he tried to draw the attention of BRICS members to the Indo-Pak conflict without explaining its relevance to the summit discussions.
Pakistan cannot be diplomatically isolated from the international community as desired by Modi since many countries need Pakistan’s cooperation in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.
During bilateral talks on the sidelines of BRICS, India sought China’s support to gain entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group despite sending out wrong signals by entering into a military relationship with the United States directed against China over the South China Sea issue.
India’s claim over PoK affects China’s multi-billion dollar investment in the China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor with huge implications for employment generation and infrastructure development in Pakistan. India cannot afford to have two alienated neighbors.
Modi’s ‘big nation’ complex is generating problems for India’s international relations across the board and it has destabilized the security scenario in South Asia. More specifically, the people of Kashmir are paying a huge price for India’s vaulting regional and global ambitions
Pakistan & china is a relationship where Pakistanis are banned in china from offering namaz or ramzan or coming to their country their citizens are profiled,also chinese airlines recently said u should not visit places where there are pakistanis & arabs,chinese are very worried as they stole lot of properties from americans & they are hated there,then surely chinese are not liked by Japanese,the chinese even did cyber theft from russians offcourse in India social media campain has been very strong to ban chinese products ….as aston carter said china will become a self isolated country.
Modi can’t do anything as India knows chinese are irrelevant for their country we hardly do 10 billion in exports to china,however the chinese tried to hoodwink the americans & other countries by trying to export to vietnam & from there vietnam exports to other countries.Overall situation is gloomy as clinton has lot of hatred for chinese & she will cash out from hatred of chinese in other countries also.
As usual, the writer is traitor to his country by writing this kind of shits. If he was a chinese citizen, he would be in Jail serving a long sentense.
Bipin Shah,
I am working to make my country a super power by staying in India. . What about you?
Stating the truth doesnt make one a traitor, but someone like you who is trying to hide the ugly truth orevents the nation from growing, it is people like you who are traitors.
Point!
Bipin sounds like hindu terrorist like all the Rascal shit sangh
you are congress hatch, illusionary secularist and not a geopolitical expert that I am and that is why I travel to get understanding of other countries strategy. Your anti-Modi bias shows up loud and clear and he has the guts and plans to achieve more than you can dream off in your whole life. This is chinese government controlled organ and there is no doubt abouf it. Why don’ t limit your publication in Indian media .
Majid Kaisrani
We all FORGET over 2,000 thousands Muslims were killed in Gujurat under
Modi Government � Don’t to mention BABRI-MASJID . I am an Indian however Muslims in Hindus needs to be united
The writer seems to forget that POK and GB has come up only now. For 2 years everyone blamed Modi for trying to talk to Pakistan. For a man who came in with a reputation of being an ogre he made a surprising amount of effort with pakstan to find a way forward.
Not really sure the meaning of big country and across the board problems – where exactly?
An excellent article by KADAYAM SUBRAMANIAN.
Reading throughthe comments, it appears Modi supporters have very thin skin. In a free speach world, any criticism, take it on you chin.
Bipin Shah what nonsense is this? Why abuse instead of presenting your illustrious arguments. Sitting in Florida a you think you are not what you call others?
Bipin Shah, having stayed in U.S. you still haven’t corrected your fourth-rate Gujju English? Go back to primary school to learn the proper spelling of "sentense", you moron!
Bipin.
Please explain your ‘geopolitical expertise’, which has never been heard of India.
It is freedom of speech.
Iftekhar Khan when you send killers to kill innocents in name of religion, every response is appropriate and it began with your coward coheart burning a train containing hindu pilgrims. So, you want peace start treating shia, Christians and others with respect
you do not know that he is a displaced cogress hatch now on retainer by chinese after working for congress run government.
You pick a subject and I will be happy to engage you in private with a world view. You mentioned you are interested in elevating India to its rightful place in world body, why we don’t write a joint article and publish in this newsmedia. Take a topic like why china is blocking NSG membership? why it is blocking our membership to security council when we supported their entry? please start with that.
My thanks to Angel Fair for her fair-minded comment.