Quote of the day

I dream of a day, while retaining our respective national identities, one can have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul. That is how my forefathers lived. That is how I want our grandchildren to live.

Ufff, what a line, yaar. By the way, Manmohan, let's chill out on the dinner in Kabul thing and get the lunch in Lahore thing down first, eh? Meanwhile, C Raja Mohan gives advice on how India should conduct its foreign policy towards its West. From the Prime Minister's speech and Raja Mohan's analysis, it seems clear to me that India is looking to play a bigger role in the downward spiral that is Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. Here's one of his nine suggestions:

The sixth is an enduring commitment to stability in Afghanistan. Preventing a destabilisation of Kabul by the Taliban has already emerged as one of the highest priorities for India’s national security strategy. As Pak-Afghan ties sink to lower depths, India faces a new tension between improving ties with Pakistan and strengthening the Karzai regime. The answer must necessarily lie in New Delhi taking the initiative for a triangular political and economic cooperation and encouraging Islamabad and Kabul to limit their conflict.

Interesting stuff, read the whole thing.