India, as of now, does not have a well laid-out foreign policy worth the name. The strange faux-passe that the nation finds itself in since the most despicable terrorist act in Mumbai on 26th November, 2008 makes it very clear that due to some kind of a lackadaisical approach, no government in India has taken the pains to develop a well thought out policy on foreign relations.The result is that India is made to puff hot and cold when there is a neceissity to start acting against terrorism through carefully picked diplomatic channels. The last time we heard of a government talking about working on this front was the one led by former Prime Minister Mr IK Gujral. He had some inkling that the Eastern neighbours of India would be in a position in the future to afflict the nation. He raised the slogan of ‘Look East.’ Thereafter his government could not make much of a stride.

Coming sometime after Mr. Gujral, the Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart, a much proclaimed foreign relations exponent and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held out a promise of putting the pieces in their right places. He could, however, make scant progress in this giving a calculated direction to Indian foreign policy. At best, he was seen faltering between two loose ends of the US and China. The later was never conciliated to Indian side despite Mr. Vajpayee’s concessions on the Sikkim and Arunachal frontiers as well as his compromising attitude on the issue of giving shelter to Tibetan refugees.

Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government, too, has followed the trend of not doing much on this important policy front and the United Progresssive Alliance has got scarcely anything in its kitty other than joining the club of Nuclear-haves. That can be hardly called any success as this ambiguous achivement has not made India any secure from the real time threat of terror. Worse still, the Nuclear agenda of the UPA government has also put Indai on the losers’ side. India today is not standing on the future turf which was amply proved during the issue of getting the sanction of Nuclear Suppliers’ Grou (NSG) last year. The country faced more opposition than support from differnt groups. It was a bullying US which ultimately won the day for India. That was a doubtful success.

Thus, here we stand. Our neighbouring country Pakistan is almost half eaten up by the criminal gang Taliban an Al-Qaeda. What can India do to ward off the evil designs of these nefarious criminal gangs? Almost nothing! Thanks to a world that still likes to keep itself at a safe distance from it!! The recognition that Pakistan gets in Chinese diplomatic circles, is not available for India. Why so? Due to the fact that India never endeavoured to win anyone’s proximity. It is a lose-lose situation that puts India at a disadvantageous situation in its war against terrorism.