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Gujral: Gentleman politician

who sought peace with neighbours

Inder Kumar Gujral was India's prime minister for a brief 11 month s in 199798. Bur the mild -mannered , soft- spoken politic ian, whose personality Aew agains t the political archetype, w ill be remembered primarily for his keen interest in p rotecting and promoting India's external interests and the eponymous Gujral Doctrine - his ma n tra for India's n eig h bo urhood polic y when he was external affairs minister twice i n a decade.

Tbe quintessential Congress m e mber who late r left the party to join the Janata Dal after differences with fo rmer prime minister J ndira Gandhi over her auroc.ratic ways, Gujral died this month at the age of 93, as qui etly and gracefull y as he had exited the political stage rwo decades ago.

In a way reAecti ve of the man, who came to Delhi from Paki stan in t he traumatic post- partition period, the Gu jral Doctrine advocated m agnanimity towards small neighbours in d1e interest of regional peace and progress.

"The logic behind the Gujral Doctrine was chat since we had to face two hostile neigh b ours in the north and the west, we bad to be at 'to tal peace' w i th all o cher immediate neig hbours in orde r co contain Pakistan's and China's influence in the region," said Gujral in his autobiography i\tl.atters of Discretion

Derided as a weak and conciliatory polic y at the time when recip rocity was sti ll rhe ruling mantra at South Block, the principl e was nevertheless carried forwa rd by successive governments It helped change mindsets and improved fodia's ties with irs neighbollrs through d1e years

Gujral s aid: "Wh en I finally demitced office (as prime minister) in March 1998, I had the s atisfaction char Ind ia's relations with aU its neighboms were no t o n l)' very healthy bur als o, to a large exte n t, the elements o f misCTust and suspici on had evaporated "

Gu jral headed the external affairs ministry tl1rm1gh two crucial perio d s (198990 and 1996- 97) under first prime minis te r V.P Singh and tl1en H.D. Deve Gowda. He help ed steer J ndia throu gh the crises of the early 1990s, when India was making the difficult adjustme n t to the end of the Soviet Union, a nd the oil shock administered br Iraq's invasion of Ku wait (both important oil .s uppliers to India) lnder Gujral was born Dec 4, 1919 in the town of Jhelum o n die banks of d1e river of the s ame name, now in Pakistan. His parents were freed o m fighters and members of the Congress but Gujral was drawn to the students' wing of the Co mmunist Party of India.

T he Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was being nego tiated during his seco nd term and bis peri od as prime ministe r. Despite strong i nternational pressure, India refused ro sign the unequal trea ty as banning futme tests would have closed India's nuclear option.

The invasion of Kuwait n ot o nly di srupted India's o il suppli es but, more imponantly, left almost 200,000 Indians stran ded in tl1e region. Guj ral flew co Moscow, Washingto n and Baghdad and obtained assurances o n o il supplies from Moscow: In Bag hdad he was greeted by Jraq i president Saddam Hussain with a hug. Gujral was pilloried by t he Wes t ern and sections of the Indian media for tl1at but tl1e visit ensured char rhe Indians stranded in Baghdad and Kuwait were allowed to be evacuated w hen "others were being held as g u ests".

Gujral re,7 ealed in h is autobiograph y that in the general elections after th e fuse N DA governmem led by Acal Biha ri Vajpayee fell by just one vo te in parliamen t, Congress pres ident So nia Gandhi offe red him a Congress n omi nation for the polls.

"ln case, 1 did no t wish to contest, she told m e that she would back my entry to the Rajya Sabha H oweve r, I decided tha t having he ld the po sition of the prime minister o f lndia , I mu st refrain from switch ing parties and call it a day gra cefull y."

He was sent to L ahore Borastal Jail for organising a demonstration.

Gujral came co D elhi after the l 947 partitio n and got i nvolved in local po li tics, becoming closer to d1e Congress. Tn 1964 he was elected to the Raj ya Sabha wi tl1 lnclira Ga nd hi's backing Thre e years later , in 1967, s he made hi m mini ste r of state for parliamentary affairs and communications

W h en E merge nc y was imposed in 1975, he was the i n formation and broadcasting minister. Bur he soon fell foul of Sanjay Ga ndhi and was relegated co the planning minis try When his Ra jya Sab ha term end ed a year lacer, L1dira Gandhi sent him co Moscow as India's ambassador (1976- 80) "si nce he refused to bow down to the d e facto powers (read Sanjay Gand hi)".

He left th e Congress after h is stint in Moscow, lacer joining die anti -Congress Janata Dal. He was elected to the Lok Sabha fo r the first time in 1989 &om Jalandhar in PLm jab, re -e lected in 1998 when he was interim prime minister but he decided not to contest the 1999 elections, choosi ng t o retire from electoral politics

He spent his last decade wri ting and speaking largely on foreign policy issues and was much sou g ht after in inteUectual and academic drcl es

China's naval modernisation a 'major, major concern' : Indian navy chief

Against the backdrop of Be ijing's asserti veness in South China Sea, India's navy chief in a t o ugh message early December said tl1e rapid modernisation o f rh e Chinese Navy is a "majo r, m a jor cause for conc ern" and declared su pport for an Indian firm's oil interest in the contested waters

Navy chief Admiral D. K. J oshi robustly defended freedom of navigation a nd w1derlin ed that d1e force was read y to protect the cou n try's assets i n the mai:itirne domain

T h e navy chief's remarks came on a day when ational Securi ty Adviser Shivshan.kar Menon is in Beijing to hold tal ks w ith China's influential sta te councillo r Dai Bingguo, Beij ing's chi ef pointsperson for boundary talks

" The moderni sation (of Chinese N avy) is trul y imp ressive It is actually a m a jor, major ca u se of concern for us, which we c o nrinuOL1 sly e\Taluare and work out our options a nd o m strategies," Admiral Joshi told repo r ters at the Navy Day p ress conference.

With an assertive China flexing its muscle s in Soum China Sea, he also stressed char d1e Indian Navy will protect O GC Videsh's investments in oil blocks off d1e coast of Vietnam.

" Our primary concern is freedom o f n avigation The ONGC also has blocks in die South China Sea. The navy is here to protect our interests in the maritime domain," he said.

"The Somh China Sea is a complex i ssue. \Xle are not a direct par ty. No teri:irorial interest is there for us," Jos hi mid reporters here to qu eries abom recent Chinese activities in the South Chin a Sea.

" In certain sectors ONGC Videsh has ce r tain interests le has energy exploration b locks, d1ree in number, and sinc e it is an area of fodian inte rest the Inclian Navy, should there be a need, would stand by," he said.

"Nor that we expect co be in those waters very, very frequen tl y, b m when the requirement is there for situations w here the country's interests are invo lved, fo r example ONGC Videsb, we will be required to go there and we are p r epared fo r that.

"Are we holding exercises for drnr narnre?

The shore answer is 'yes' "

Joshi also rn1de rlined that d is putes over freedom of navigation and territor )' within the South China Sea must be resol ved w id1.in the ambit of internati o nal treaties.

"Not only us, but everyone is of tl1e view char d1ey have co be reso lved by the parties concerned, aligned w ith the internatio nal regi me, wh ich is outlin ed in UN CLOS (U nited Nati.ons Convention on the Law of t h e Sea), that i s our fi r st requi remen t ," he said.

China's mas sive m ilitary build- up in recent years has evoked much concern among strategic circles in India.

"The accretion o f trans - bo rder military capability by China is a matter o f legitimate concern for India," C. Uday Bhaskar, a strategic expert at the Society for Po licy Studies, a think tank, told IANS Bhaskar stressed that while China does not pose an immediate threat to India's interests, the Chinese modernisation needs to be monitored carefuUy.

China's military budget ha s reco rded a major upswing, and has officially couched $106 billion in 2012.

With an evolving strategic enviconmem on m ind,Joshi focused on scaling up the lndian Navy's capabilities and spurring the modernisation of the naval infrastructure to meet a host of chall enges.

"11odernisation and enhancemenc of the Navy's capabilities is an ongoing process, to meet emerging maritime challenges/ threats. These include aircraft carriers, stealth fr igates, destroyers, corvettes, amphibious ships a nd submarines."

"The Indian r avy would also be inducting state-of- the-art aiccraft and helicopters co augment our snrveiUance and integral aviation capabilities," he said

More glamour than business at fashion week

From Indian names including Zeenat Aman, Bipasha Basu, Genelia D'Souza, Shazahn Padamsee to international fashion icons like Paris Hilton, Miss Paraguay Lery n Franco and Nicole Huber, the second edirion of India Resort Fashion Week (IRFW) was more about glamour than bus iness.

With as man y as 30 shows, d1e four-da)' festival that was divided into three areas'The Fashion Show', 'The Fashion Village' and 'The l\fosic Festival', concluded in Goa recently, with a energetic performance by Paris, who visi ted me countrr for the second rime.

The first edition w itnessed 15 designers showcasing d1eir tal ent, but d1e second edition had mo re names.

Some of d1e estab lished names part of tl1e fashion fest were r arend.ra Kumar, Neeca Lu.Ha, Arjun and Anjalee Kapoor, Pria Kataaria Puri, James Ferreira, Falguni and Shane Peacock, Rocky S and Babita Malkani.

\Xl'hen asked why there were lesser established names this year, Mumbai -based designer Narendra Kumar said diat people in India were little exposed to trends in resort wear.

"l thin k I understand the value o f the resort week, other people probably do not unde rstand or cannot make clothes that are d i fferent from one collection to other. Ir's important diat I participated and am sure d1ere will be more desiguers who will enjoy the mi" o f fi.m, fashion and music cogether in the coming days," be said.

"l thin k the reson trend is relevant to lndia. le is one kind of doming that is perfect across India le is probabl )' the best dung one could do," Kumar added.

Un like last seaso n , this fashion week was orgatused in open air, giving more space for designers to showcase d1eir creativity.

While space was provided, there wer e hardly any collections displ ayed for the buyers Almost aU the stalls were empty, and d1ere was much .Leisure and chatting.

Shane and Flagu,u Peacock, who were the finale designers for the fashion week, said char orgaiusing a resort week is surely going to help the Indian fashion world.

"Resort week is de6nitely a good ming to do for the Indian market and it was our guc feeling mac made us say yes to tlus event," said the designer duo, who rarely participate in Indian fashion weeks because of their international commitments.

Amit Patel from E -Sense entertainment, who brought some of the internatio nal names, including Paris, said that buyers from arotmd tl1e globe had flown in to see the collection

"Indian fashi o n is much more appreciated outside India and with IRFW we strive to create a platform for all aspiring designers to showcase theic talent globally. Ir's a perfect blend of music and fas luon. Also there has been a lot of business as b u ye rs from around die g lobe have flown in to watch die collection," said Patel.

Visitors at the lRFW seemed more drawn to the music than the fashion.

The four- day event had a robust line- up of Indian and international disc jockeys (DJs).

From Indian DJs like V ijay Chawla , Anish Sood and Clem ent D'Souza to international names like Sidney Samson, Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike and of course Paris Hilton, tbe music definitely attracted one and aU.

Pakistani daily rues delay in opening trade with India

T h e outreach to Lndia could be the centrepiece of me Pakistani government's foreign po l.icy credenrials going into the election, a leadin g daily said recently, lamenting that the process of trade liberalisation with New Delhi has been "gummed up because of paro chial interests".

An editorial in the Danm said trade with India is supposed co be the game-cl1anger i n relations between the two countries.

"Beerer ties with India, including flinging open d1e doors co mutually benefic ial trade, is sup posed to have become a bedrock p rinciple among mainstream politicians. But few dungs here follow a s moo th script," it said while .referring co Pakistan missing a self- imposed deadline to allow all tradable items to cross the land border wim India.

Agriculturalists and their supporters in cabinet are reluctant to endorse the government's own plan ahead of an election, it said.

"The d1inking is typically protectionist, and bereft of a ful l understanding o f what Pakistan would have to do after cabinet endorsement of trade liberalisation wid1 India

" given the quality of debate in me cabinet and the electoral considerations of politicians becoming paramounr with an election on the horizon, rational argw11ent is an unformnate cas ualty in decisionmaking," the daily added.

Equally worrying, tl1e editorial said, is how eas ily d1e decision -making process c:,11i be manipulated by vested interests, even on the civ i lian side

"The outreach to India could be the centrep iece of t his government's foreign poliq· ctedemials going into the election; the manifold benefits of trade, including the positive spillover for otber security aspects of me fraug ht Pakisrn.n -India re lationship, are llt1deniab le; and with an econom>7 struggling to ren1rn to a high growth path , every litde bit can help - and yet the process of trade li beralisation with India has been gummed up because of parochial inter ests."

Jc went on to say that after over six decades of a " dis piriting" relationship wi th India , there are few reasons or excuses drnt have not been proffered to d1wa r t better ties

" Bur at least this muc h has become dear: w ithom bold and cou.rageo us political leaderslup, meaningful iniprovements in Pakistan- India relation s will never materialise," it said.

"The issues and disputes between Pakistan and lndia are very real. The hawks on the Indian side a re equally real, as is the growi ng suspicion of Pakist,w across tbe Indian elite in goverornent, civil society and die media. But none of that is reason co s top trying. Trade is a win- win situatio n for both Pakistan and India; the federal cabinet needs to better educated in the matter," the daily added.

Tibet owes its religion to India: Tibetan PM - in - exile

Attributing the success of die Tibetan democracic experiment in exile to Indian values and traditions, Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay recently said that the country "owed irs religion to lndia"

" Tibet owed its religion to India and d1at it is owing to t he proximity to India physically and s piricuaJJy mac tl1e T ibetan str uggle has conformed to the tenets of ahim.r,1 (n on -violence) , dialogue and reconc iliation," said Sangay, who took over as political successor to t he Dalai Lania.

The T i betan leader was speaking at me 'Sixth Dr. K R. Narayanan Memorial Lecture ' on the meme - 'Democracy in Exile: The Case of T ibet' a[ tl1e Jamia i\,lillia l s lam ia in New Delhi.

Har vard -educated Sangay, who was elected head of the Centra l Tibetan Administration, said that d1e Tibetan democracy, above all, owed itself to d1e vision of His H oliness the Dalai Lama.

On the impo r tance of Tibet's water and eco logy~ not just for India but for the environment sustainabili ty of me world, Sangay sai d d1ar continued destruction of natural resources, m indless expans ion in d1e name of development a nd extensive militarisation wiU only add to global climate worries.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India s ince fleeing hi s h o meland in l 959 The Tibetan exile administration is based in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.

Some 140,000 T ibetans now live in exi le, over 100,000 of them in India. Over six million T ibetans live in what is now known as the T iber Autonomous Region in China. IANS