The Pragmatist
India Today|September 03, 2018

His FOREIGN POLICY is perhaps Vajpayee’s most enduring legacy. A natural strategist, his pragmatic approach and personal initiatives to improve relations with China, Pakistan and other nations compelled neighbours to respond to his sincerity.

Shivshankar Menon
The Pragmatist

As the external affairs minister and then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee always had time for our neighbours. Serving as his amba­ssador in Sri Lanka, China and Pakistan, I found that his interest in our neighbours was deep, positive, and based on long years of experience and knowledge.

Vajpayee had an unmatched abil­ity to sum up a situation and convey his message in the most pleasant manner. When he asked me in 2003 whether I would go to Pakistan as the high commissioner, I asked, why me, when I had not dealt with Paki­ stan since 1974? His response was, “Because you are innocent!”, and he roared with laughter at my expense. But he had a serious message in his jest—that I should not repeat the sterile patterns of the past and should look for what we could do to move the relationship forward.

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