Dream catcher is a net or web made of willow, used by native Americans to filter bad thoughts. It was part of native tradition to put this web or net outside their abode to keep bad dreams at bay. This tradition originated from an ancient lore of theirs. There was a deity which secured kids from having bad dreams. But, when the native population spread far away this deity was unable to reach every where, she devised this formula of stopping and filtering bad thoughts from children's mind.
In today's context, this term suits Indian Prime minister, present and past. And this with reference of their efforts to repair, mend or upgrade relations with our neighbor, Pakistan. Each and every PM of India dreamed of having good relations with Pakistan and they all have utterly failed on this front. Starting from Pandit Nehru's efforts in later half of his tenure to mend relations with Pakistan to the current incumbent of the post, Narendra Modi, all have done U turns on their stated policy on Pakistan to repair relations, but to no avail.
After the initial bitterness of Partition and Kashmir war of 1947-48, and demise of Jinnah and Liaqat, Nehru made several attempts to mend the relations. He went on to the extent of putting aside his democratic ethos and tried to deal with Pakistan with softness then under a martial law regime, which he despised. In 1960 he signed historic Indus Water treaty with Pakistan, which expert believe was heavily tilted towards Pakistan. He visited Pakistan that year, held talks with Martial law administrator Field Marshall Ayub Khan, but nothing substantial decisions were reached, especially about the biggest thorn in the flesh of Indo-Pak relations, Kashmir. Ayub made peace with China on disputed Kashmir boundary and opened a friendship front on McMahon line which later became biggest source of strength for Pakistan on diplomatic count. But India and Pakistan failed to repeat this feat on their relations. This failure cost India hugely. Because then was a generation of Indo-Pak leadership which just a few years ago was fighting together against the British, before they started fighting each other. There was still some bonhomie left among them. Some of them had personal equations. Like, Ayub was personal friend of then Indian High Commissioner Rajeshwar Dayal posted in Karachi, when Nehru visited Pakistan in 1960. Dayal was DC of Mathura before partition and Ayub was posted as Corps Commander there. They were very good friends. Ayub was very much willing to reach on solution on Kashmir. He used good office of his friend Rajeshwar Dayal to convey his willingness to Nehru. But Nehru believed that being a dictator Ayub is not a true representative of will of People of Pakistan. So India missed and opportunity then.
Again, after defeat in war with China, Nehru attempted for a negotiated settlement with Pakistan. He released Sheikh Abdullah from jail and sent him to Rawalpindi. But before Abdullah could complete his Pakistan visit, Nehru died. Although even if he would have been alive, resolution of Kashmir issue and better relations with Pakistan wouldn't have happened. Because by then, Ayub's mind had changed. He was emboldened by supply of Patton tanks and defeat of India at the hands of his ally China.
By 1964, Ayub was planning to take Kashmir from India through military means. He tried his luck a year later, when in 1965 Pakistan escalated border skirmishes up to Operation Gibraltar and invaded Kashmir under the garb of revolt. That's another part of history. But second PM of India Lalbahadur Shastri signed a peace deal with Pakistan in Tashkent under U.S.S.R. pressure. This deal couldn't eve take off as Shastri died on the night deal was signed. Third Indian PM, Indira Gandhi didn't evn seriously try to mend relations with Pakistan. She even dismembered Pakistan with helping in birth of Bangladesh. Though in 1972, she lost most of the military achievement while negotiating Simla agreement. Morarji Desai was too lame to have any meaningful dialogue with Pakistan. Indira in her second inning was more focused on grooming a heir than doing deft diplomacy. In 1983, future PM of India, Rajiv Gandhi sowed the seeds of the mess in which India finds itself today. He counselled Indira to sack popular Farrukh Abdullah government and install a puppet one. This one stroke of political misjudgement raised the stake of Pakistan in Kashmir and thereby made the Indo-Pak relations more complex. When after Zia's death, democracy returned in Pakistan, Rajiv visited Pak in 1988. His smiling photos with young Benazir Bhutto became talk of town. There inter personal bonhomie aside, but those young leaders could achieve nothing in terms of their national goals. Rigged Kashmir elections of 1987 brought militancy from across the border. And we are still counting national loss due to this fraud of Rajiv. Extending terrorism as state policy, Pakistan has been trying to drain India of its resources since then. But Indian PMs have made somersaults and u turns often under external pressure and many a times to fulfill their dreams of having good relations with Pakistan. Whether it was PV Narsimha Rao or AB Vajpayee or Dr. Manmohan Singh or now Narendra Modi, all have tried sometimes hard and sometimes soft approach towards Pakistan with not a single benefit. Modi started off with inviting all neighbours for his swearing in. And then cancelled FS level talks in August lst year when Pak High Commissioner met with Hurriyat leaders. Again after covert US pressure he sent his FS on a tour of Islamabad with no clear objectives. But now what happened on Pakistan day celebrations, and how MOS MEA VK Singh has reacted on social media, it is amply clear that Modi govt is a divided house on the issue of relations with Pakistan. Like his predecessors, Modi also nurses a secret wish of having good. relations with Pakistan and wants to resolve Kashmir tangle during his regime,so that, his name gains a place in eternity. But, Pakistan is still biggest unsolved puzzle for Indian leaders and diplomats alike. Being a neighbor, it makes sense to attempt having good relations with Pakistan. But, historical proofs say Pakistan cannot be trusted. Some people have cited example of Israel dealing with Palestine. But, make no mistake, while Palestine is still to gain even statehood, Pakistan is a nuclear armed nation having a strong army. So, what is way out? How to deal with Pakistan. For me, Carrot and Stick policy of British seems best.
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