EAM Dr S Jaishankar said the present situation on the Line of Actual Control does not serve the interest of either India or China
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday said ties between India and China are at “cross-roads” again and that the rise of Asia can happen only when the two countries have a “positive dynamic,” between them.

“Today, our ties are again at cross-roads. The present situation does not serve the interests of either nation.
 There is a way forward. And that is by reinstating peace and tranquility in the border areas, respecting the LAC and not seeking to change the status quo. Beyond that, the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interests – offer a credible pathway,” EAM Dr Jaishankar said in his remarks at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture on governance on October 5.

He said India’s first Home Minister’s views on China differed with then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.

“The most cited example of that was their exchange of correspondence in 1950. In Patel’s view, India had done everything to allay China’s apprehensions, but that country regarded us with suspicion and skepticism, perhaps mixed with a little hostility. He highlighted that for the first time, India’s defence had to concentrate on two fronts simultaneously. His assessment was that China had definite ambitions and aims that shaped its thinking about India in a less-than friendly way. This is a near verbatim summary of his famous letter,” the EAM maintained.

“To him (PM Nehru), it was inconceivable that China would undertake, what he called, a wild adventure across the Himalayas. He did not, in his words, envisage any real military invasion from China in the foreseeable future,” Dr Jaishankar added.
In the context of the 1962 India-China war, he emphasized that governance is equally about undertaking the appropriate level of planning, right level of preparations and ensuring suitable appointments.

“In 1962, our troops were sent to the Himalayan borders without the right equipment or acclimatization. And that was because there was virtually no planning for the contingency. And to compound matters, those charged with responsibilities – from Defence Minister Krishna Menon downwards – were visibly ill-equipped to deal with them. This was not hindsight since questions were raised and controversies erupted even ahead of the war,” the EAM said.

With reference to Pakistan, he said India would certainly like to have good relations with Islamabad. “But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking. As the Sardar demonstrated, realism must be the foundation for policy,” Dr S Jaishankar said.

Describing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s view as “grounded and optimal,” External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar called the country’s first Home Minister a pioneer of an “India First” approach in foreign policy.

“He (Sardar Patel) recognized the realities of the global power structure and felt that they should be handled appropriately to gain advantage. In particular, he appreciated the salience of the United States to the world order, and believed that it would be difficult for India to industrialize significantly, without American cooperation. As a nationalist, he had definitely no problem in standing up to the West on Jammu and Kashmir.” EAM Dr Jaishankar said.

Regarding handling of Jammu and Kashmir by the then government-led by Jawahar Lal Nehru and its decision to refer the Pakistan attack to the UN, under Article 35 of the UN Charter, the EAM said, “Sardar Patel was, in fact, opposed to going to the United Nations at all. He had resisted this in the case of Junagadh and Hyderabad as well. And his logic was one of basic realism: that India should not submit its issues to the judgement and interests of other powers.”

He said Sardar Patel was “the most forceful advocate of using all avenues of pressure” on Pakistan after the invasion of Jammu and Kashmir.

“His (Sardar Patel’s) reluctance to take the matter to the UN itself stemmed from the belief that Pakistan was better directly dealt with, rather than in a framework that Pakistan could manipulate. His own approach in regard to the refugee handling and rehabilitation issues also said much about his attitude to nationalist forces,” Jaishankar said.