For a few days, most of our television channels had been reporting about Barack Obama’s visit to India and the issues which would most likely be discussed. Strangely, what impressed me most amidst all those news about possibilities of civil nuclear agreements or likelihood of increasing trade between the two nations, were news that the US President would not be able to visit the great Taj Mahal as according to a verdict by the Indian Supreme Court, no cars would be allowed inside the premises of the Taj Mahal; and without the bomb proof car in which the US President normally travels in India, the visit to Taj Mahal would have been a security hassle for both Indian and the US security agencies.
I read many tweets about this particular development and was surprised to see most of the Pakistanis being happy about the US President not allowed to visit the Taj Mahal because of security concerns. It is extremely sad to see that the Indian authorities were not interested in bending the rules even for the US President whereas violations such as engagement and wedding ceremonies of politicians in our country inside provincial assemblies premises and at historical sites likes Mohatta palace are common practices.
While watching the press conference of the two leaders, it was again very disturbing to see that the Indian Prime Minister Narinder Modi wore a traditional outfit and preferred to speak in his own language in comparison to the practices of Pakistani rulers. It is a common sight that our leaders are most of the times incapable of even reading a pre scripted handouts and feel ashamed of speaking in our national language on international forums.
This particular visit was for the first time that any US President visited India twice and is also highly significant because this would be first time that any US President would be the chief guest of the ceremony of the Indian Republic day. This is a very symbolic move and speaks volumes about the growing ties between the two nations.
Before the joint press conference, news that Pooja Thakur became the first woman officer in India to lead the guard of honor to the US President was also very impressive, given the fact that generally women have not been given their due importance in the whole South Asian region.
Then during the joint press conference, amongst all the issues discussed, there was no mention of Pakistan which was obviously a deliberate move. Issued of strategic importance such as security concerns about Afghanistan , energy, Yemen, terrorism, Ukraine, Russia, increasing trade volume, defence mechanisms for the next ten years etc were discussed but anything about Pakistan was not at all mentioned. The US President especially mentioned that he would support the Indian demand of being a permanent member of the UN Security Council. If this demand is accepted by the UN in near future, it will be a severe blow to the India-centric foreign policy of Pakistan.
This highlights the fact, that we as a nation have definitely been doing something wrong. Today we stand as an isolated nation and all indicators about economy are showing a very sad picture. It is high time that we take very strict action against all the terrorist organizations and improve our economy. Building good relationship with all our neighboring countries and important countries on the map along with bringing foreign investment and projecting a good image of our country to the international world should be foremost priorities right now. With a meaningful operation going on in full swing against the TTP in the tribal areas seems to be a step in the right direction but right now we seem to be very far from the glory we once enjoyed as a modern, progressive, influential and powerful country in the international community.
