Not too much should be seen into Pakistan - Russia military activity

I am reminded of a funny story from my home state. A starving jackal was lying on a large field, craving for food. He saw a Bull, happily grazing with it's huge ba**ls swinging like a low hanging fruit from its behind.

 

The hungry jackal wouldn't dare attack the Bull, as the giant bovines reaction can be unpredictable. Watching his forbidden fruit swinging vigorously like pendulum from behind, the Jackal thought its fall is imminent and patiently waited for his meal.

Soon it became noon, evening, followed by twilight. No sign of the Bull's ba**ls  falling off ! The mountain sized bovine moved away after finishing his meal. The frustrated jackal died from starvation.

 

The moral of this story in Odia :

"ANAAI ANAAI GALANI BELA
SANDHA PE**A LAGI MALA SIALA".

 

Roughly transliterated...

"Waiting for the Bull's Ba*ls to Fall,
The Jackal Dies After All."

 

May be inside my lifetime, unlike this ill fated Jackal, I will see a strong, assertive India. Great expectation, but certainly not out of bounds.

 

A Nation or a Person, whose vision goes above and beyond the next quarter into the next quarter of century, succeeds in its mission. USA, Russia, China, Israel fall into that category. Remember, it took Americans nearly a decade to eliminate Bin Laden and Russians 9 years to punish Zia Ul Haq (rumor has been KGB planted a device in his plane to kill him). It took over a decade for Mossad to track down and spectacularly eliminate all the perpetrators of Black September terrorist group who massacred Israeli athletes in 1972, Munich Olympics.

 

Yet a sizable chunk of our establishment are still stuck in Cold War era, having the notion that Russia is our friend, trusted ally etc. No one is a permanent friend or enemy in this murky world of realpolitik, where permanent self interest rules the roost. So not Russia, America or anyone else in our friend, neither enemy too.

 

Russia was using India as its pawn and vassal state during Cold war. Pakistan, forever ready as a vassal state for any bigger power, doing joint exercise with Russia shouldn't come as surprise - as Pakistan's body and soul is perennially  up for grab for a price.

 

I recently read an interview with Vyacheslav Trubnikov, now SVR chief  (Russian secret service post Soviet) from 1996-2000 given to an American journalist. He was born in Siberia and joined KGB in 1967.

 

Immediately he was sent to Calcutta, India under cover as a reporter. He said - "Every journalist in Calcutta those days was considered a spy". A KGB spy in India, in the middle of Commie paradise called Calcutta at the height of Cold War, was certainly not there to do social service with Mother Teresa.

 

Hence, we are unnecessary seeing too much into these short term Military exercise between nations. US, China, Russia play long term games. Global equations change with time. Yesterday US Congress approved an Iranian multi Billion $ deal with Boeing to buy 80 Aircrafts. Obama's Iran deal is starting to yield benefits.

 

America knows well that Pakistan is China's concubine, more than their b**ch. So good relationship with Iran will give Uncle Sam access to Afghanistan through Iranian ports, making him not too depend on NATO convoys to pass through Pakistan. Iran would checkmate the Saudis and America acknowledges Iran's growing influence over Iraq.

 

India, at least from the surface, appears to be playing long term for a change, while our analysts are behaving like 5th grade primary school students, discussing Russia - Pakistan joint exercise as the end of world for India.

 

In that context, like this Hungry Jackal I am still waiting. Remember, I K Gujral withdrew RAW support networks from Pakistan, making us scratch our head and now starting our security from scratch. The present government has some catch up to do and I need to wait for that happen during my lifetime.