When the five Tamilnadu fishermen landed in New Delhi, Indian Diplomacy gained some more momentum after the successful return of the nurses from Iraq. They were sentenced to death on charges of drug trafficking. Kudos to Sri Lanka for bypassing its own laws for the sake of foreign nationals. Diplomatic efforts from Indian Government in recent times have yielded satisfactory results. In principle, Diplomacy is another name for "Official Bartering". And as long as the barter brings good to the common, unerring folks on either side, it is always welcome.
At the same time, the manner in which we lost Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan hurts in more ways than one. He was fatally attacked inside the Kot Lakhpat (or Central Jail) Jail in Lahore by other inmates. Several years of appeal by governments of two different Prime Ministers could not secure his release. The case of Italian marines, who allegedly killed fishermen in Kerala waters, also presents a bad picture of our efforts. In both these cases, the eagerness required to pursue the most logical, legal and diplomatic, path was squarely found missing.
The endeavours of Diplomacy are equally important at home and away. If Indian fishermen are violating any Sri Lankan law, they must be clearly educated about it. In case of spies and agents wandering the target countries, most advanced legal and decoy trainings should be given. People looking for work in war-prone countries must be made aware of other possible employment avenues and if they still go ahead with the original assignment, how to guess a problem and take steps to mitigate it. Full report on the laws of that country must be handed over to whoever is travelling there. This would ensure that though New Delhi does all it should to protect its citizens, it does not go too far into interfering with legal system of other countries.
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