Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's remark that Saudi Arabia, because of its close relationship with Pakistan, is valuable to New Delhi as an "interlocutor" in talks with Islamabad is ridiculous to say the least. Coming as it did during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Riyadh, the comment, if it reflects Government policy, betrays a lack of direction in dealing with Pakistan. The idea that getting Saudi Arabia to talk to Pakistan, in whatever capacity that might be, will bring about a positive change in the India-Pakistan equation is preposterous simply because of the reason that the Islamic kingdom is the epicentre of Wahaabism. It is from Saudi Arabia that jihadi Islam has been exported to the rest of the world. Thus, to seriously expect Riyadh to convince Islamabad to rein in the anti-India jihadi groups operating from territory under its control is laughable and shows how clueless the Government is on dealing with Pakistan. It is a fact that outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, the Taliban and their ilk look up to the fanatical Islam preached in Saudi Arabia for inspiration. Indeed, it is the Wahaabi model that they want to replicate throughout the world. Hence, the fact that the Government is now banking on Saudi Arabia to achieve some traction in India-Pakistan talks can only be described as scraping the bottom of the barrel.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia's own track record is anything but clean. The kingdom continues to be one of the most authoritarian regimes in the world. Its clerics and 'charities' enjoy a great deal of influence over the same people who want to bleed India dry because of their 'moral' guidance to them over the years. Such assistance for jihadi groups goes well beyond ideological support. The only reason why the kingdom does not figure in the West's blacklist is because of its huge reservoir of oil. But billions of those petro-dollars are used to fund extremist Islamist organisations across continents. Many an Islamic seminary, especially in South Asia, found promoting jihad has been financed by Saudi charities. In this background, to view Saudi Arabia as part of the solution would be extremely naïve. The idea of using Saudi Arabia as an interlocutor also exemplifies the unseeming urgency on the UPA Government's part to engage Islamabad in dialogue at any cost. Needless to say this kind of an approach will not only yield little result but also weaken India's diplomatic position. The message that should ideally go out is that India has no compulsion to talk to Pakistan and that it can very well live without talking to the latter. But that would require political courage, which is lacking in the Manmohan Singh regime.
