India has reiterated that its borders are sacrosanct and it will not accept any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo on its borders. The emphatic statement on India’s territorial integrity being inviolable came from a person no less than external affairs minister S. Jaishankar at an event organized by his ministry to mark eight years of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
Jaishankar said India’s borders also need safeguarding and the country will never accept any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo. “A posture that departs from established understandings will evoke its own responses,” warned the external affairs minister even as he praised “trusted partners” for helping to keep India “safe and secure every day”.
Most observers feel that Jaishankar’s remarks were aimed at China, as India and China have been involved in a stand-off situation in eastern Ladakh for over two years now. The opposition to any unilateral changes has been a constant reiteration by India throughout this border dispute which has drawn international attention. India’s stand vis-à-vis China has been praised by top-class international experts who appear to appreciate Prime Minister Modi’s muscular foreign policy which lays equal emphasis on the country’s territorial integrity and international cooperation.
In the course of his speech the external affairs minister also alluded to India’s security partnership with the West. Stating that on the issue of security, the NDA government was committed to doing what it takes to ensure “national well-being” Jaishankar acknowledged the role of “trusted partners” who work to help keep India safe and secure every day.
Stating that India looked forward to taking initiatives on global concerns that were truly consequential, the minister talked about how his country looked forward to joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group overcoming all political impediments and taking initiatives on global concerns. He cited the International Solar Alliance as an example.
As it is, India has attempted to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group but has been stymied by opposition from China and some other countries. Jaishankar sought to underscore India’s age-old philosophy of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam” (the whole world is a family). Citing India as proof that “democracies can deliver”, the minister asserted that Indian foreign policy has been displaying greater conceptual and operational clarity under the present regime.
But the high point of Jaishankar’s speech was his assertion about India’s territorial integrity and NDA government’s commitment to defeat any attempt at unilaterally changing the status quo on the borders. His words sounded a warning to anyone with inimical designs against India. In the present context most people are likely to link it with countries such as China and Pakistan which have a rather tense relationship with India but the minister was also making a policy statement in the larger global context.
Comment here