Natwar Singh on Modi's upcoming Israel visit
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has grown in her job. She has navigated the foreign policy craft in turbulent waters with dexterity and a certain degree of ladylike panache. This surprised a number of informed people including me.
Her press conference was a resounding success. She was articulate, clear and confident. No fudging, no rambling, no "on the one hand, and on the other". On our relations with China and Pakistan she was sure footed and on the spot. Her candour was striking. What she said on India-Israel intercourse needed to be said. From 1947 to 1992 our Arab friends had exercised their veto to prevent relations with Israel.
The visits of the external affairs minister and the prime minister are to be welcomed. These significant journeys are not at the expense of our age old warm relations with our Muslim friends. Israel is a small country. Its influence is considerable outside the Muslim world. Technologically it is as advanced as the US. The Jews are perhaps the most talented people in the world.
From 1966-71, I worked in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's secretariat (it became PMO during Morarji Desai's time). So did the late George Verghese - but for a shorter period. After the 1967 Lok Sabha elections (the Congress did badly) George wrote a comprehensive paper on what should be the government's priorities in the coming months. I confined mine to foreign policy. I suggested that we take a second look at our relations (or non-relations) with Israel. Nothing came of these papers over which George and I had sweated for several weeks.
Vocal
At the time the anti-Israel lobby was very vocal. PN Haksar, principle secretary to the prime minister, foreign secretary TN Kaul - affectionately called Tikki and external affairs minister of state Dinesh Singh were for treating Israel as an outcast. George Verghese in his autobiography, First Draft wrote, "Earlier the PM expressed the wish that her Cairo speeches be shown to Clovis Maksud, the Arab League representative in Delhi, I protested and managed to block such vetting. Tikka had meanwhile, settled for an interview by the PM with Al Aharam, the leading Cairo newspaper. The catch was that clovis was the Al Haram correspondent in Delhi and prepared both questions and answers, which Tikki had approved. He wanted me to secure Gandhi's approval. I was flabbergasted at this outsourcing of foreign policy."
I got to know Clovis Maksud and thought him an unctuous and slippery individual, who met Dinesh Singh every other day, to the discomfiture of other diplomats.
In 1987, India and Israel reached the finals of the Asian sector of the Davis Cup. The final was to be held in Tel Aviv. I was then minister of state for external affairs. The external affairs ministry proposed we boycott the final. I took up the matter with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. I reminded him that no Muslim country had supported us on Kashmir, not even during the Sino-India war in 1962. The PM instructed me to announce that India would go to Tel Aviv for the final. In 1992, PV Narasimha Rao raised the level of India-Israel relations by sending an ambassador to Israel. The Israelis responded immediately.
Home minister Rajnath Singh recently said that if Akbar was great, so was Maharana Pratap. Who has ever doubted the courage, defiance, determination and valour of the Maharana. Both in their own spheres were great. Akbar's empire covered very large parts of India. The Maharana operated on a much smaller scale. Even his neighbours - Jodhpur and Jaipur did not oppose Akbar.
Rebellion
In fact Akbar married Hindu princesses. Jodha Bai's name comes to mind. His son Jahangir was half Hindu, so was Shahjahan. Raja Man Singh of Jaipur spent many years serving Akbar in various parts of his vast empire. If my memory serves me right, the Raja was with Akbar's army at the battle of Haldighati in 1576. Maharana Pratap, until his death in January 19, 1597, continued his rebellion against Akbar.
Embassies
Every Indian is proud of the Maharana, every Indian is inspired by this great patriot. Unfortunately his son, Rana Amar Singh surrendered to Shahjahan in 1614.
I have very recently looked at the numbers of diplomats posted in Delhi in the embassies of China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. The figures are revealing China: 69, France: 58, Russia: 80, UK 111 and US: 211. The Indian diplomats posted in these five countries: China: 26 in Beijing, France: 30 in Paris, Russia: 59 in Moscow, UK: 49 in London and US: 104 in Washington.
Many of our embassies and high commissions are understaffed. The embassies of the P5 - US, UK, China, Russia and France are overstaffed. One embassy out of these five has at least 30 per cent of its diplomats as intelligence agents who have free access to various ministries and institutions. The situation is getting worse not better.