Walk the talk is what India wants Pakistan to do
One Indian official after another has been rubbing the point: punish those responsible for Mumbai attacks to improve the ties. In Pakistan a number of suspects were arrested soon after the attacks. Prosecution, however, requires sufficient evidence. Collecting evidence is a painstaking exercise requiring a high level of professionalism. The next stage requires preparing a foolproof case. The legal machinery moves slowly. But aren’t four years enough to put the act together? Finally, five police officers have produced before the court the CID reports about the main suspect’s involvement in running the militants’ camps, including one imparting navigational training at Karachi. The accused are in a position to engage high profile lawyers who will make use of every loophole in the evidence for the benefit of their clients. This has happened too often in the past. If everybody was on board regarding improvement of relations with India, one expected a better and quicker investigation and preparation of the case.
A number of Indian leaders have made it clear, again and again, that relations between the two countries cannot be upgraded till those responsible for Mumbai attacks are punished. For the Indian side, the issue is highly sensitive for obvious reasons. The visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would have contributed to the creation of a conducive environment needed to promote dialogue between the two neighbours. Its cancellation is a reminder that there is little possibility of any significant development on issues of major concern to both the countries until a more serious attempt is made to prosecute those responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attack.
The people on both sides of the border are keen to develop friendly ties. They see mutual trade, which remains limited thanks to red tapeism on both sides, as beneficial for both countries. They want more steps to facilitate people to people contacts. The establishments in the two countries have, however, yet to fully overhaul their old mindsets. They are presumably still double-minded between peace and war, as revealed in the Indian minister for external affairs’ recent interview on the right wing channel India TV. He has his counterparts on this side of the Wagah border also. The result: decisions are taken but signatures are delayed and implementation put off on one excuse or another. The Indian prime minister’s visit could have been instrumental in removing some of the hurdles that stand in the way of the improvement of ties. There is need on the part of establishments on both sides to promote peace so that both can bring down their defence expenditures, spending the much needed resources on education, health and social development.
