IT is becoming exceedingly obvious that India has a well-thought-out foreign policy, the prime objective of which is to inflict more grief on Pakistan.

It has built a highway through Myanmar to Thailand, and the main artery of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) corridor is almost ready, linking Yunnan province in China with India. It has also signed a pact with Iran for developing a seaport Chabahar, to give an alternative route to Afghanistan, other than Pakistan.

The most recent signing of the pact with the UAE is meant to make capital out of Pakistan`s cooling ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. New Delhi has extracted an agreement from the UAE to invest $75 billion in India. Mr Modi is now boasting to his countrymen, `if Pakistan can get an investment of $46 billion, he has brought almost double the amount` for India.

The Indian PM`s visit to the UAE is a matter of serious concern for Pakistan. The government in Islamabad must take immediate measures to appoint a fullfledged foreign minister.

Major (r) Mumtaz Bashir Lahore (2) INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to capitalise on the recent bitterness in the UAE`s relations with Pakistan after the latter`s refusal to participate militarily in the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebels of Yemen (Aug 18).

He visited the Gulf country and came up with the offer of a strategic partnership.

The two countries` joint statement spoke of an extensive framework of agreements covering economic, defence, security, law-enforcement, culture, people-to-people contacts and so on. The UAE is expected to investabout$70bninIndia.

In April, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash had criticised Turkey and Pakistan for staying away from the Yemeni conflict and ignoring all diplomatic norms, warnedPakistan that it would regret! Obviously, Abu Dhabi now thinks New Delhi is going to be their friend and saviour. I would like to ask the UAE a question.

Before the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, there had already existed an agreement whereby Pakistan Air Force would be providing training to the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

During the war, there was one Pakistani pilot based in Jordan.

When the Israeli warplanes attacked Amman, though it wasn`t even a part of his duty, he went after the Israelis in a Jordanian Hunter aircraft and shot down not one but three invading fighters having a superior performance, single-handedly in dogfights. Can the UAE ever expect the Indians to shoot down an Israeli (or other India-friendly nation`s) craft in the hypothetical case of an attack on the Emirates? In case there is a conflict between Iran and the UA E, can India be expected to intervene militarily on the UAE`s side?It may also be pointed out that it was Pakistan that had helped train the UAE Air Force, particularly in its formative years.

Ibne Inayat Karachi