'A Total Failure In Conducting Diplomacy'

While initiating the discussion, Shri Mulayam Singhji made a very significantremark when he said that whereas we have been winning the wars on the ground, wehave proved to be a total failure in conducting diplomacy. Our borders have beenshrinking after every successive war. I congratulate him for he did not at leastpoliticise this issue.

Madhavraoji was referring to the Shimla Agreement as the benchmark of ourrelations with Pakistan. All our problems raised their ugly heads after theShimla Agreement of 1971. In 1971, Pakistan was a vanquished country and we hadseparated Bangladesh from it. We had 93,000 POWs. It was under suchcircumstances that Shri Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was invited for an agreement. Whatpreparation was made at that time? No talks were held on the issue of Kashmir atthat time.

Prior to that there was Tashkent Agreement. It was in this agreement thatPakistan was able to retrieve the Haji Peer Pass, a very vital link used by itnow for exporting terrorism to our country.

One can say that India will not get another golden opportunities like thatfor the settlement of Jammu and Kashmir. There is much talk about preparationnow. What preparation was made at that time? We surrendered 93,000 POWs butcould not get our 54 POWs in return. Was this what preparation was made at thattime? Was any homework done for retrieving one-third of Kashmir illegallyoccupied by Pakistan so as to finally settle the dispute with them?

Was it not possible for us to ask Pakistan to withdraw the Security CouncilResolution, stop cross-border infiltration and check once for all the recurrenceof tribal assault? If the heads of Government negotiating these agreements couldhave mustered enough courage to make Pakistan yield on these issues, India wouldnot have been confronting even a single problem like these today.

Just now, Shri Mani Shankar Aiyarji handed over a chit asking as to what forhad the Government of India invited Musharraf for Summit level talks? Was heinvited to send him back empty handed? Shri Julfikar Ali Bhutto was not returnedempty handed but within a year, he was removed from office and killed and thiswas not an incident of its first kind.

It is very important to muster enough courage to sign a draft declarationonly when it fulfills the national interests in a manner best suited to nationalaspirations. To my mind, there is no ambiguity in the opinion of the House aboutour national aspirations and interests. It is for the first time when the issueof retrieving one-third of the illegally occupied Kashmir was emphaticallyraised.

Shri Atalji said that whereas we cannot change geography, we should try tochange history. Shri Parvez Musharraf announced here that the HurriyatConference represented the people of Kashmir but everybody knows as to whom theyrepresent. It is very clear in our minds whether Hurriyat represents Pakistan ornot.

It was for the first time that the UN Secretary General candidly declaredthat the UN Resolution in Kashmir was redundant now. Our diplomacy should beguided by the situation on the ground and diplomacy could not be succeed unlessyou are able to eradicate cross-border terrorism. It is very unfortunate thatwhereas our security forces have been winning the wars on the grounds, we arenot able to meet the parameters of diplomacy on a negotiating table.

Many transformations have been taking place under the BJP rule and under theable leadership of our hon. Prime Minister. I hope and believe that this trendwill also change.