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Mani Shankar Aiyar: India Can Strike Pakistan, But Lacks Courage to Talk
- •Former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar criticized the BJP-led Central government for refusing talks with Pakistan, stating it has the courage for surgical strikes but not to resolve issues.
- •Aiyar suggested holding talks at the Attari-Wagah border, emphasizing that arguing over past issues is not effective foreign policy.
- •He highlighted India's perceived hypocrisy, noting the country advocates against war globally yet engages in conflict with Pakistan.
- •Aiyar proposed a continuous dialogue at the border to identify resolvable issues and postpone others until conditions improve.
- •He also commented on the Indian political environment, suggesting that a united non-Hindutva front, like the INDIA bloc, could bring about significant changes, including new initiatives on Pakistan and the restoration of Kashmir's statehood.
Key Questions Answered
Mani Shankar Aiyar suggested holding bilateral talks directly at the Attari-Wagah border, placing a table on the borderline so neither delegation has to cross into the other's country to keep the dialogue going.
Aiyar stated that the national political scene can be fixed if the entire non-Hindutva polity consolidates the INDIA bloc, noting that doing so in the 2024 election would have secured the necessary majority seats and potentially restored Kashmir's statehood and Article 370.
Aiyar criticized the Central government for refusing dialogue while conducting surgical strikes, arguing that India appears hypocritical by telling the world it is not an era of war while maintaining no diplomatic dialogue with Pakistan except through military actions.
