Let’s keep at it
‘Here we go again’ was the thought of many Pakistani and Indian peaceniks when Mumbai was jolted by three serial blasts who braced themselves for a deterioration of relations as had happened post-26/11 (an incident that proved rupturous). We all know how one grain is enough to tip the precariously balanced scales that are the Indian-Pakistani relations. But thanks to some appreciable restraint by the Indian government in the wake of the incident, talks have continued. The foreign secretaries of both the countries met yesterday to prepare ground for the foreign ministers’ talks scheduled for later this month.
Both countries have now woken up to the fact that not only is this the right thing to do but also the expedient one. Peace is practical. Both countries can’t afford to feed the inferno of their military budgets or keep troops deployed to their shared border. They can’t also ignore the vast trade potential as the opportunities available are an embarrassment of riches. In addition, measures like a freer visa regime and increased transport links which facilitate people-to-people contacts discussed in the last meeting are also very important.
Terrorism, the bane of this peace process, is not one country’s headache; it’s a regional migraine. An unstable Pakistan would subvert the entire region and can be in nobody’s interests. Thus, while India’s demand that Pakistan not let its soil be used as a launch pad is in no way unreasonable, it can’t use the terror trump card to force stalemates. To state the obvious, Pakistan is itself at the receiving end of much terrorism and what happened in Mumbai on the 13th is called Thursday afternoon in Peshawar. Regional cooperation is the only way to rout this problem. Sustained dialogue is the answer and pressing the reset button whenever something goes wrong is very counterproductive.
There are issues big and small and it’s a big ask to decide which to deal with first. The trick is to keep at it. Gone are the days when even a modus vivendi was progress. We have two democratic dispensations now that understand the value of amity. The people don’t expect instant breakthroughs but what is expected is some tangible progress, not statis dressed up with diplospeak – here’s to hoping it is achieved.