Letters: Change with the times

I agree with Premvir Das' view in his article, "Isolation of Pakistan is wishful thinking" (October 20). Not only China, which has both business and strategic interests in Pakistan, but also other countries such as Russia, which recently held a joint military exercise with Pakistan, and even the US, which has given financial and military aid to Pakistan in the past, have not supported India's stance of isolating Pakistan in letter and spirit.

Even Bangladesh and Nepal's decision not to attend the SAARC summit in Islamabad might not have been the result of the attack on the Uri military establishment. It is not an exaggeration that Uri was an inflexion point for India and the country's response in the future to any possible attack on its soil by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists may be quite different.

On the solution suggested by Das, I do not think ceasing all economic dealings with Pakistan will fetch India anything. What India should have is a country-specific strategy and keep pursuing stronger bilateral relations with every country in the SAARC region and other parts of the world. This would keep exposing Pakistan at international forums, which should lead to a favourable outcome someday.

We need to continually align ourselves with the ever-changing global reality, where a country that is a foe today might become a friend tomorrow, Russia and Pakistan being the most glaring example.

On the issue of Pakistani artistes, if they do not work in India it is their loss, not ours. The Pakistani entertainment industry is in a shambles. There is no dearth of talent in India.

Bal Govind, Noida

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