Attack casts shadow on Modi's Saarc party

Strike on India's Afghan consulate, Tamil resentment highlight foreign policy headache

Even before Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi could take the oath of office, he found himself nursing a foreign policy headache following an attack on the Indian consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, by four men armed with grenades and rocket launchers. To make matters worse, alliance partner Vaiko continued to question Modi's invitation to Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa to attend the oath ceremony and decided to boycott the event even as the BJP made light of that.

No Indians lost their lives in Herat. The four gunmen were killed by security personnel. Afghan deputy interior minister Gen Ayub Salangi was quoted in Tolo News, a vernacular TV channel, as saying that no Indian died in the attack. Modi spoke to Afghan president Hamid Karzai, the caretaker head of state, immediately after the 3 am attack, carried out from a house nearby. Soon after, Pakistan condemned the attack and reiterated its stance against terrorism in all forms and manifestations. A spokesperson from Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement: "No cause justifies targeting of diplomatic missions. It is a relief that no one from the consulate staff was hurt".

The attack took place even as India was waiting to hear from Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whether he would attend Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony on Monday. India was restrained in its reaction to the attack. "Our diplomatic premises in Afghanistan have been repeatedly attacked by elements who clearly do not support the Afghan people's effort to rebuild and redevelop their country," said government spokesman S Akbaruddin, without naming the nationality of those who had mounted the attack, although he did say that the attack "once again underscores that the main threat to Afghanistan and its peace, stability and security steps from terrorism beyond its borders".

Although the Pakistan foreign office announced that its recommendation was that Sharif should travel to New Delhi and not 'lose the opportunity', for some reason, a confirmation had not come till late in the evening. This was amid a report by news agency Reuters that the Pakistan army and the civilian establishment were locked in a serious difference of opinion about how to deal with the Taliban insurgency on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, suggesting there was no unanimity on Sharif's proposed India visit either. The Congress took the opportunity of taking a dig at the new government in New Delhi. "There is no ambience for serious talks with Pakistan; Narendra Modi should not forget this in euphoria of his coronation," the party said. "If Nawaz Sharif does accept the invitation, let's hope Narendra Modi will serve him chicken biryani!" Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted.

The reference was obviously to Modi's earlier attack on the Congress, accusing it of serving chicken biryani to visiting Pakistan premier Raja Pervez Ashraf in 2013 when he had come on a private visit in the midst of the controversy over the beheading of an Indian soldier by Pakistani armymen.

In a bid to douse Tamil fires, BJP president Rajnath Singh called on Vaiko and tried to persuade him to attend the swearing-in. Vaiko also met Modi.

"Met Modi-ji, he heard me patiently for 25 minutes, (Arun) Jaitley and (Amit) Shah were also there. Gave them documents against Rajapakse," tweeted Vaiko later.

But clearly on the defensive, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman denied that Modi would hold bilateral talks with any of the Saarc leaders.

"The leaders will attend the ceremony. They will interact with each other during the dinner that Modiji will host in their honour. But these meetings can by no means be termed bilateral talks," she said. Much preparation goes in before heads of governments sit down for bilateral talks, including precursor meetings of officials for outlining the agenda. None of this has been done in this instance. BJP sources said the invite to leaders of Saarc countries should be seen as a celebration of democracy. They said discussions on other bilateral issues were not on the agenda.

WHO'S WHO AT THE BASH OF DEMOCRACY

Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan)
Not confirmed

Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh)
Representative will attend

Mahinda Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka)
Will attend

Tshering Tobgay (Bhutan)
Will attend

Sushil Koirala (Nepal)
Will attend

Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan)
Will attend

A Y Abdul Gayoom (The Maldives)
Will attend

Navin Ramgoolam (Mauritius)
Will attend