Rup Narayan Das
The government’s decision to depute a group of informed and articulate parliamentarians abroad to explain India’s stand on terror is certainly laudable. Members of these groups are carefully chosen, devoid of any political consideration. What matters is the opportunity to enable the members to effectively articulate India’s stance. Senior retired diplomats have also been included in each of the delegations to advise the members.
Operation Sindoor has evoked a mixed response from foreign countries. While some have condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, a few of them lack proper understanding of the menace of cross-border terrorism, of which India is a victim.
There is a natural tendency among some segments in the foreign media to find fault with India’s rise and with its masculine foreign policy to rein in cross-border terrorism. Although the Indian missions are there to put the country’s stance in perspective, the diplomats who are otherwise suave, informed and articulate, have some limitations in terms of diplomatic propriety and niceties. The lawmakers are high-profile people. Unlike politicians who can jell with their peers, a diplomat may not have the same comfort level and latitude. A politician is free to express his or her views and interact with their counterparts, but a diplomat’s words will always be measured. Of course, the delegations will be briefed by the ministry of external affairs and by the respective divisions and Indian missions abroad who are coordinating the meetings.
Governments world over have used parliamentarians as envoys and interlocutors to engage with their counterparts. India has also engaged parliamentarians for this purpose. After the Sino-Indian war of 1962, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru permitted Sudhir Ghosh to visit both the USSR and the US to explain to their legislators India’s stance and solicit their support for India’s cause. Nehru, however, refused to forge an alliance with these countries in view of India’s non-aligned policy. With Nehru’s support, Ghosh visited the US in 1963 and met senators and even President Kennedy. The visit was a grand success. Later, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi sent Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the UN General Assembly in 1988 to explain India’s stance on nuclear issues. In 1994, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao sent Vajpayee to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also deputed an all-party delegation after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
India has not yet developed the tradition of engaging parliamentarians in diplomacy and diplomatic outreach, although a number of goodwill delegations do go abroad and similarly parliamentary delegations from abroad visit India and call on the presiding officers of the two houses of Parliament.
Besides this, Indian MPs, under the leadership of the presiding officers, attend regular parliamentary events under the aegis of Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. These fora provide opportunities to explain India’s stance on critical issues like terrorism and climate change.
Although, as a matter of principle, bilateral issues cannot be raised at such multilateral congregations, nothing prevents them from discussing such issues on the margins of such meetings. Diplomats in Indian missions abroad help the MPs in their interventions. It is imperative that such opportunities be thoughtfully and creatively used to put across Indian perspectives. Chairmanship of such multilateral bodies will help India put on the table issues that have a bearing on our national interest.
This exercise of engaging parliamentarians in diplomacy should not be knee-jerk, but should be continuous and concurrent in alignment with the MEA. The Parliament has the mechanism of Parliamentary Friendship Group for strengthening ties with foreign parliaments. These friendship groups should be activated thoughtfully and creatively. MPs should cultivate and nurture their peers during their visits abroad as part of parliamentary delegations.
The author is former joint secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat.