Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar has urged the central government to rethink handling of its foreign policy in view of the escalating tensions, marked by an increasing number of skirmishes and deaths of Indian soldiers at the borders.Jakhar was talking to reporters here after attending the cremation of Sepoy Jaspreet Singh, martyred in Pakistani shelling on Tuesday in Naushera sector of Jammu & Kashmir, on behalf of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.While the Congress was committed to standing by the Indian Government on all issues of foreign policy, in the interest of the nation, it was time for the union government to reconsider its policy in view of the changing ground realities, said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief.Political consensus on issues of national interest was a hallmark of the Indian polity and the Congress had always taken the lead in supporting the government of the day when it came to international relations and disputes, Jakhar pointed out. He said the way the Congress's Non Aligned Movement (NAM) policy had been tweaked by the present dispensation has not achieved the desired result and ended up in escalating tensions.
However, the prevailing situation on the ground necessitated a rethink on how India should handle its foreign policy matters, he said, adding that though the nation was proud of its soldiers who did not hesitate to lay down their lives for the country, it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that their sacrifices are not rendered waste.Rather than using the sacrifices of our soldiers as photo opportunities to showcase or making boastful claims, we should look closely at the ground realities and act in tandem with the changing situation at the border, said he Punjab Congress president.Responding to a question, Jakhar said whether or not India should go for another round of surgical strikes was not something he was equipped to comment on, but he definitely felt that the present situation needed to deescalated with mature diplomatic handling rather than loud and hollow claims.