We had a window of opportunity to mend fences with Pak, but we lost it: Shyam Saran

Bengaluru: "We don't have enough diplomats for a country like India, whose foreign relations are expanding. With 750 to 800 diplomats, it is not possible to implement foreign policies and have connectivity with neighbors. It is no surprise that results are sub optimal when our resources are lacking. We have done a good job in foreign policy despite this problem but we cannot have the engagement we want, if we invest so little. In this respect, China's record is a glaring contrast," said Ambassador Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary, Special Envoy for Indo-US civil nuclear issues and Chief Negotiator on Climate Change.

Speaking at Bengaluru International Centre at The Energy Resources Institute on Thursday, Saran launched his book  'How India sees the World' in a discussion with Ambassador Latha Reddy,  former Deputy National Security Advisor.

"There is a power asymmetry between China and India. In our engagements with each other, we improved our deployment, infrastructure, etc but China has done much more. They were more focused than us. The imbalance exists and it is necessary to be prudent. In case of conflict, we may not have necessary resources to take them on. We must choose where to confront and where to converge our interests," Saran said when asked to comment on Indo-China's current relations.

"The Copenhagen accord had a template, previously drafted by U.S and China. India and the other countries only followed this template. This changing context of China-U.S relations is a challenge for us. We must share concerns with neighbouring countries about the unilateral assertion of power by China," Saran advised.

 Elaborating on his tenure under PM Manmohan Singh during India-Pakistan negotiations on tricky issues like Siachen and Sir Creek, he said, "We had a window of opportunity with Pakistan, between 2003-2007. Our relationship was improving modestly and we had back channel talks on resolving the 

Kashmir issue. Now however, we have lost that opportunity."

 "The narrative of how and why the partition happened, what happened in the Wars of 1965, 1971, Kargil, etc are projected in a completely different manner by Pakistan and India. Unless there is a coming together of the perception of these events, there can be no reconciliation between us," he opined.

In a visit to Siachen, he was shocked to see the condition of Indian troops stationed there. While talking to the younger officers, he could see their physical hardship and psychological isolation at such high altitudes. "If we were able to craft an understanding with Pakistan then, it would have helped our troops," he added.

 With respect to India and U.S he acknowledged that U.S was and is a predominant power. However, when forming alliances, Saran believes, we must question the intent behind their power. " In case of crisis, can these allies rely on the U.S to support the alliance?," he questioned.

  On the domestic challenges faced within India, Saran said," India's attractive feature to other countries is that it handles plurality and celebrates diversity. If we define nationalism in narrower terms, how can we portray ourselves as globalized and cosmopolitan. How can we become a major power?"

His vision for the country's future includes India initiating the discussion and collaboration on issues of intellectual property, cyber security and outer space assets. " These domains are not amenable to regulation. It is therefore a compulsion that we collaborate on this, to avoid a catastrophe. Can India emerge as a thought leader on this?," he asks.

" India must give a stake to its neighbours, for its own prosperity. We don't realize that we are the transit country in Asia. India should see the world as a great opportunity."