Saarc masterstroke: Right call, right time?

In reaching out to Nepal, by becoming the first Indian PM to set foot on Nepali soil in the last 17 years, the Modi government is seen as having made a new beginning

That Prime Minister Narendra Modi was determined to take charge and steer the course of India’s foreign policy from day one was evident with his decision to invite the Saarc leaders for his government’s swearing- in.

Mr Modi who was to later describe it as the “right decision at the right time” drew positive reviews for what was seen as a master- stroke in reaching out to the immediate neighbourhood from the outset of his government’s tenure.

Besides, through this outreach to the Saarc nations, the Modi government also managed to use it as an icebreaker with Pakistan, a country with whom a chill in ties had set in after the January 2013 beheading of an Indian soldier.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came, setting in motion a process that culminated with India announcing that the foreign secretaries of the two countries would be meeting in Islamabad on August 25.

But this was not to be. Days ahead of the meeting India decided to call off the talks after Pakistani envoy here Abdul Basit met Kashmiri separatist leaders despite New Delhi warning it would lead to the cancellation of talks.

With the cancellation sank any hopes of the resumption of the stalled dialogue process between the two neighbours. The “tough” decision” though is one that hasn’t got the Modi government too many brownie points from many foreign policy analysts who see it as a lost opportunity to get bilateral ties back on track.

However, in reaching out to another close neighbour, Nepal, by becoming the first Indian PM to set foot on Nepali soil in the last 17 years, the Modi government is seen as having made a new beginning.

The new government has also sought to send out positive signals to another close neighbour, Bhutan. Indeed, the Himalayan kingdom was the first bilateral visit made by the PM.

Also, in making Japan the PM’s first port of call for a bilateral visit outside the subcontinent, the Modi government has made it clear that forging, even closer ties with an economic powerhouse and a strategically important ally, is a priority.

The initial days of the new government have also seen the US government eagerly reaching out to the new government and ending his visa ban with US President Barack Obama inviting Mr Modi to visit the US. July also saw a string of high- profile visits by the US leaders to India with secretary of state John Kerry among them.