India-Pak should talk terror: Brajesh Mishra

In an exclusive chat with Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi, Brajesh Mishra makes it clear that India should not lose focus.

The Prime Minister has said the government did not change track in Sharm-el-Sheikh and that there will be no meaningful talks with Pakistan till terror ends. But that has not satisfied politicians and scholars alike who point to bitter experience with Pakistan.In an exclusive chat with Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi on the programme Kahiye Janab, National Security Advisor (NSA) during the NDA government Brajesh Mishra makes it clear that India should not lose focus.

Swati: Did the Government make mistake over the mention of Balochistan in the Indo-Pak joint statement? Brajesh Mishra: The Balochistan issue was not raised for the first time. Three years ago our current National Security Advisor talked on the issue with Pakistan. At Sharm-el-Sheikh, Pakistan insisted that the issue be made a part of talks and I don’t know why we agreed. We should have said if you want to talk Balochistan, then we will talk about the attack on Indian embassy in Kabul and your agencies’ hand in it. Pak would have run away! Swati: By agreeing to talk with Pakistan, has the govt backtracked from a stand based on national consensus? Brajesh Mishra: They have backtracked of course. Vajpayee had said that violence and hatred can’t go on along with talks. Musharraf accepted this and we began talks in 2004. A year later when Manmohan Singh talked to Musharraf, things changed on table. In Havana Pakistan said that it is a victim of terror. Thus came the joint mechanism against terror which failed terribly. At Sharm-el-Sheikh, nobody knows what the two sides agreed upon because both India and Pakistan said different things to media. That was ridiculous. Swati: Do you agree that Pakistan is a victim of terror? Brajesh Mishra: Not at all! They are a victim of their own created monster, if anything. Swati: In such a scenario, is there any use at all in talking to them? Brajesh Mishra: Till terror continues, there is no use of any talks. Talks should first focus on ending terrorism against India. The thing is that the government also says as much, but the PM meets Gilani, foreign secretaries meet outside the country- what is this if not talks? Swati: But the PM also said ‘trust, but verify’… Brajesh Mishra: What trust and what verification? It has been 10 months since 26/11 what has Pakistan done? It has not even named the masterminds in the dossier that they handed India, let alone prosecute him. Swati: The PM said third parties may take advantage if we close all channels of talks, that apart from talking the only other option is war. Brajesh Mishra: It’s totally wrong. Third parties can not pressurise us, we are such a big country. For an example, when I was the NSA, US asked us to close our four consulates in Afghanistan. I told them it was not America and that if the President Karzai did not have any problems then who were they to object? So whatever the pressure, our reaction has to be for our own good. Yes we want peace, but not at the cost of our head. Swati: While on the topic of Indo-US ties, is the new found friendship with the world’s only superpower costing India much? Brajesh Mishra: I fully support our engagement with the US. The nuclear deal was a good thing and so is the latest End User Agreement pact. EUMA makes things dependant on us so we should not worry much. But, it is the nature of US to pressurise nations around the world. We have to resist that pressure successfully. Swati: India is often called a soft state. Even though we face the worst of terror from Pakistan we agree to talk to it… Brajesh Mishra: Sadly, India is not taken as seriously as we would like. Economic status is okay, but there is something called military power which matters more. It is the safety of citizens and our properties that matters. The rest is bak-bak! Talks are essential no doubt but not till there is terrorism against us. Swati: What do you make of Musharraf saying that Kargil was a success for Pakistan? Brajesh Mishra: Oh come on, how can you believe him? He kneeled before US pressure and his men were killed by our forces. Swati: What should India be doing now? Brajesh Mishra: There should be no talks with Pakistan on any level. Social pleasantries are one thing, but no talks on the senior level should happen. If foreign secretaries talk, terror should be on agenda. Importantly, both sides need to tell the world what exactly they agree upon, they should speak in one voice. There should be no talks on Kashmir, Balochistan, Siachen, culture etc. Adapted by Shashank Chouhan