Modi govt keeps Pakistan out of regional plans, signs pacts with other countries

[Bang Galore]

Modi govt keeps Pakistan out of regional plans, signs pacts with other countries

• Jayanth Jacob/Moushumi Das Gupta, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
  |
• Updated: Jun 23, 2015 03:34 IST

Union minister for road transport highways and shipping, Nitin Gadkari and his counterparts at BBIN Transport Ministers conference in Thimpu, Bhutan. (PTI Photo)

• The Modi government is changing the way it conducts its foreign policy, entering into regional pacts while leaving out Pakistan that New Delhi sees as a reluctant player in achieving Saarc’s goal of greater integration.
  
  India has gone ahead and signed agreements on roads, ports, power and education with South Asian countries to build and strengthen ties, circumventing the Pakistan hurdle.
  
  “For long it was a Pakistan-obsessed regional policy, for that matter foreign policy. Time has come to think out of the box and move ahead,” a government source said.
  
  These plans were not just aimed at greater cooperation but had strategic intent as well, sources said, citing the example of Chabahar Port in Iran.
  
  The signing of the BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) corridor agreement in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu on June 15 is a shot in the arm for Delhi’s regional plan.
  
  A similar pact would be signed with Afghanistan in the coming months. The India-Myanmar-Thailand road connectivity plan would be completed by year-end and would eventually be integrated with the BBIN corridor, sources said.
  
  “This will be a big boost to sub-regional connectivity and a major feat in India’s ‘Act East policy’,” an official said.
  
  Pakistan had refused to sign a Saarc agreement on motor vehicle and rail connectivity at a summit in Kathmandu in November.
  
  The underlining theme, sources said, was “Pakistan not holding up plans for greater regional integration” by letting neighbours join in when they want to.
  
  Founded in 1985, the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Corporation remains one of the least integrated groupings in the world.
  
  Less than 5% of the region’s global trade takes place among member countries and less than 10% of the region’s commerce is conducted in the Saarc Free Trade Area.
  
  India was encouraged by response from neighbours like Bangladesh and Nepal who would find sub-regional framework more helpful than fighting domestic political objection to signing “India-dictated” bilateral pacts, sources said.
  
  India is finalising a tripartite transit agreement to allow Indian goods to enter Iran through Chabahar port on the country’s southeastern coast bordering Afghanistan. Goods will be moved through road and rail to Afghanistan as well as Central Asia.
  
  “We have a container terminal at Mundra, which is some 550 nautical miles from Chabahar. It’s nearest to Chabahar and once the port is ready, container vessels can reach Iran in approximately two days,” a shipping ministry official said.
  
  Though it attended a meeting on plans for a dedicated Saarc satellite Monday, Pakistan has not been too keen. Officials said the project, which aims to boost telemedicine and communication in the region, would meet the 2016 deadline.
  
  New Delhi, said sources, would stay away from a Saarc gathering of transport secretaries in July “unless Pakistan spells out what it exactly wants from the meet”.
  
  After Pakistan kept member countries waiting till last moment at Kathmandu for a grid plan, India has again gone ‘local’.
  
  “When PM (Narendra Modi) was in Bangladesh, he said India would contribute a major way to Dhaka’s plans of meeting 24,000MW power demands in 2021,” a source said.
  
  India could allow countries such as Bhutan to route power to Bangladesh through India.
  
  But Pakistan, the second largest Saarc country after India, can hold back new initiatives of the grouping as the forum works with consensus. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the other members.
  
  India will also need Pakistan’s help for Afghanistan road plan. “Well, when things are moving quite well on the eastern front, we can hope things will fall in place on the western front too,” an official said.

Modi govt keeps Pakistan out of regional plans, signs pacts with other countries

 

[Donatello]

Oh wow! Who cares? CPEC is the thing.....that gave Indians ulcers....

 

[Thorough Pro]

Pakistan does not give a monkey's shit to Modi and his regional plans, go stretch your arses doing yoga

 

[ArsalanKhan21]

Who cares about them ? We will not sign any deal that hurt Pakistan's interests.

 

[Desert Fox]

CPEC is the way forward. CPEC is more important, which is why Modi is having sleepless nights over it:

PM Modi told China, Pakistan economic corridor unacceptable: Sushma Swaraj | Zee News

 

[xyxmt]

topic should be Pakistan keep Modi govt at bay.

 

[Menace2Society]

So which country will India invade next after Myanmar?

Regional pact? Sounds more like regional hegemony and Indian wet dream rolled into one.

 

[Menace2Society]

Who take care of Pakistan also. India clearly shows that we don't need Pakistan to go ahead with its plan with SAARC nations and India and other SAARC countries already moving to that direction. Now all SAARC countries want Pakistan to get out SAARC grouping. So why Pakistan is waiting to get more insulted. Better to chup chap exit and take your name from SAARC consortium. We all want peace and development. We don't want terrorist country in SAARC. Pakistan is in SAARC to fail SAARC. So for the success of SAARC, Pakistan should be removed from it.

Nobody is stopping you go ahead. India is the one raising objections over CPEC.

They will do the same to others in the region when something doesn't suit their interests.

Pakistan will have no part in this. Your reign of terror stops at your western border so I suggest you continue to look East for your next minion.

 

[root]

Good we don't want any regional pact nor any association with India. Selfie clown can stick plans with himself cpec is way forward for PAKISTAN.

 

[Bang Galore]

CPEC is the way forward. CPEC is more important, which is why Modi is having sleepless nights over it:

PM Modi told China, Pakistan economic corridor unacceptable: Sushma Swaraj | Zee News

Sleepless nights? You should read your own links before commenting. The objection is because it cuts through Kashmir which India routinely objects to (it's why you get no international funding for any proposed dams in Kashmir) and Pakistan does vice versa.

More importantly it is to neutralise Chinese objections to Indian projects in the South China sea. You go through territory India considers disputed, shouldn't expect china's concerns to be heard in the SC sea.

From your link:

Answering queries at a press conference, she said the government had summoned the Chinese envoy over the $46 billion economic corridor that is to run through Pakistani Kashmir.


She said the Indian envoy in Beijing had also raised the issue. Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced the ambitious 3,000 km-long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during his visit to Pakistan in April.


"Prime minster during his visit took up the issue very firmly and spoke very strongly that the CPEC going through Azad Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) is unacceptable," she said.

 

[Menace2Society]

Sleepless nights? You should read your own links before commenting. The objection is because it cuts through Kashmir which India routinely objects to (it's why you get no international funding for any proposed dams in Kashmir) and Pakistan does vice versa.

More importantly it is to neutralise Chinese objections to Indian projects in the South China sea. You go through territory India considers disputed, shouldn't expect china's concerns to be heard in the SC sea.

From your link:

Answering queries at a press conference, she said the government had summoned the Chinese envoy over the $46 billion economic corridor that is to run through Pakistani Kashmir.


She said the Indian envoy in Beijing had also raised the issue. Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced the ambitious 3,000 km-long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during his visit to Pakistan in April.


"Prime minster during his visit took up the issue very firmly and spoke very strongly that the CPEC going through Azad Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) is unacceptable," she said.

Firstly China will steamroller you in any geopolitical dispute, they are UNSC member.

Secondly only India consider Pakistan Kashmir as disputed, your claim holds no weight outside your borders.

Another Indian wet dream. Can barely feed your population and still think they can go head on with 2 allied nations.

The sensible thing to do would be to encourage any economic activity and offer to join in. Then Pakistan would have joined in SAARC and it would be win-win.

Sadly India is delusional and only is interested in collecting client states. Like I said carry on looking East, your Western border is locked by yours truly.

 

[Desert Fox]

Sleepless nights? You should read your own links before commenting. The objection is because it cuts through Kashmir which India routinely objects to (it's why you get no international funding for any proposed dams in Kashmir) and Pakistan does vice versa.

More importantly it is to neutralise Chinese objections to Indian projects in the South China sea. You go through territory India considers disputed, shouldn't expect china's concerns to be heard in the SC sea.

From your link:

Answering queries at a press conference, she said the government had summoned the Chinese envoy over the $46 billion economic corridor that is to run through Pakistani Kashmir.


She said the Indian envoy in Beijing had also raised the issue. Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced the ambitious 3,000 km-long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during his visit to Pakistan in April.


"Prime minster during his visit took up the issue very firmly and spoke very strongly that the CPEC going through Azad Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) is unacceptable," she said.

Nice try, but a bad excuse im afraid. CPEC aims to make Pakistan economically stronger, and thus a economically stronger Pakistan means a hard time for india which is why bharat is making all the fuss. And PS, looks like the Chinese could care less about your objections and are still proceeding with the project and now even Iran and Afghanistan are joining to benefit from CPEC with the prospect of Russia and Central Asian republics also joining in.

Nobody is stopping you go ahead. India is the one raising objections over CPEC.

They will do the same to others in the region when something doesn't suit their interests.

Pakistan will have no part in this. Your reign of terror stops at your western border so I suggest you continue to look East for your next minion.

Next they will launch another incursion but this time into another weak neighboring country like Nepal and then make empty threats to Pakistan lol.

 

[Bang Galore]

Firstly China will steamroller you in any geopolitical dispute, they are UNSC member.

Secondly only India consider Pakistan Kashmir as disputed, your claim holds no weight outside your borders.

Another Indian wet dream. Can barely feed your population and still think they can go head on with 2 allied nations.

The sensible thing to do would be to encourage any economic activity and offer to join in. Then Pakistan would have joined in SAARC and it would be win-win.

Sadly India is delusional and only is interested in collecting client states. Like I said carry on looking East, your Western border is locked by yours truly.

That is silly. The point is made. You don't think Kashmir is disputed? Excellent news!

This is about diplomacy, the point is made. No one expects any change because of the objection but China itself sets a precedent for India's role in the SC sea. This is not about Pakistan as many Pakistanis think, this is an issue between India& China.

As for China steamrolling anyone because of it being in the UNSC, that's a joke because no one else supports it on this matter of the SC sea. This, in any case, is diplomatic posturing and anyone with half a brain would have figured it out.
If India had any other reasons to object to this corridor, so you think it will spell that out?

 

[Menace2Society]

Next they will launch another incursion but this time into another weak neighboring country like Nepal and then make empty threats to Pakistan lol.

I find it hilarious Indians talk about regional peace when they force themselves on a neighbour and violate their sovereignty like they are buying a packet of bubblegum. Then gloat about it the next day. What type of people are this.

This is not regional peace. This is not regional anything. Its a mockery of international law and its law of the jungle. I feel bad for the eastern countries, they have a RAW deal here. Bullied into submission because they are scared.

Thankfully Pakistanis have balls of steel, they won't sacrifice their dignity to appease this monster.

 

[Bang Galore]

Nice try, but a bad excuse im afraid.

Shouldn't then post the link which suggests otherwise.