dna edit: Intemperate Parliament

Given the sound and fury emanating from Parliament, a spectator could be forgiven for thinking that the combat zone is in New Delhi, not at the Line of Control (LoC) where five soldiers were killed by Pakistani troops. The rhetoric is devolving by the hour. If BJP’s Yashwant Sinha plumbed the depths of absurdity by demanding to know if the Congress was with Pakistan or India, Congress’ Ajay Maken was little better, indulging in a tawdry arithmetic of human lives by trotting out the number of civilians killed in Jammu and Kashmir during the NDA’s tenure.

Problematic as defence minister AK Antony’s soft-pedalling the LoC incident was, the nature and terms of this debate perhaps explain why he did so. Strategic and foreign policy issues in Parliament — especially concerning Pakistan and China — are held hostage to a jingoism designed to appeal to domestic audiences. Consequently, the government of the day often finds its range of options constrained. The nation is ill-served by such competitive chest-thumping. A rational perspective is sorely needed.

This latest incident in Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir is part of an ongoing trend. According to the Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing)’s initial statement, 17 infiltration bids along the LoC have been foiled this year, the number of attempts doubling from the same period last year. The number of ceasefire violations has also seen an 80 per cent increase over 2012. There are likely multiple factors feeding into this uptick.

One is almost certainly the situation to Pakistan’s west. With the US poised for a pullout, Rawalpindi is likely to be both bolstered by the anticipated success of its strategy of quietly backing the Taliban and freer to turn its attention to the eastern border. Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s diplomatic overtures to New Delhi could be another possible reason; the increased volatility along the LoC could well be Rawalpindi’s way of undercutting those attempts and ensuring he does not cross the army’s red lines vis-a-vis India.

A blanket refusal to talk to Pakistan as the BJP is demanding is not the optimal way to deal with this situation. A two-pronged approach keeping in mind the reality of Pakistan’s internal power dynamics is needed. One the one hand, a diplomatic engagement with Islamabad expressing Indian concerns; on the other, buttressing New Delhi’s engagement with Kabul to send a clear message to Rawalpindi. But the prerequisite for any of this is political space in New Delhi for a mature debate. With such incidents likely to increase as the US pullout in 2014 rolls around, and increasing temptation to grandstand in New Delhi with national polls the same year, a continuation of Parliament’s present tone and tenor would severely constrain the government’s ability to pursue an effective policy.