A good omen

Resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue

Those concerned about peace and prosperity in South Asia would welcome Indian foreign minister Slaman Khurshid ’s statement regarding the resumption of talks with Pakistan. The PML-N government is committed to peace and friendly relations with India. Nawaz Sharif takes pride in the initiation of talks with A.B. Vajpayee in 1999 and the Lahore Declaration which noted both sides’ commitment to resolving the outstanding issues. The attempts to restart a dialogue can commence, as Khurshid put it, after the PML-N government finally settles down. This should not take more than another couple of months.

The process to build friendly ties was derailed by Gen. Musharraf’s Kargil misadventure. Ground realities however forced the military ruler to once again sue for peace. Subsequently a composite dialogue was initiated in 2003 to address the issues that bedevil relations between the two countries. The dialogue was called off by India in November 2008 in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Attempts by the PPP government to improve ties failed to produce results till Zardari put the peace process back on rails during his talks with Manmohan Singh in April last year. The meeting was followed by parleys between interior, foreign, defence and commerce secretaries of the two countries. The talks were upstaged in September when Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and her Indian counterpart SM Krishna met in Islamabad. A pending visa agreement was inked between the two countries. This was called the first step towards normalization of relations. Insistence by India to prosecute those behind the terror attack and demands by Pakistan to be provided usable information stood in the way of any major breakthrough. The hopes that the talks would lead to Manmohan Singh’s visit to Islamabad also proved futile. The border incidents in January this year once again ratcheted up the tension between the two countries proving that the road to peace is paved with potholes.

Talking to Indian journalist Karan Thapar days before the elections, Nawaz Sharif had reiterated his commitment to improvement of relations between the two countries. Nawaz had promised to start from where it was “interrupted in 1999”. The improvement of relations with India has crucial importance for Pakistan. Mutual hostility has led the two countries to concentrate the bulk of their armies along the Pak-India border and the LoC. If Pakistan is to fully concentrate on the terrorist threat emanating from the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, it has to ensure peace with India so that it can transfer more troops to the North West. What is required is creating mutual trust between the two countries through talks at the highest level. Meanwhile Islamabad needs to go ahead with giving India the MFN status. The new visa regime too should be implemented by both sides. The process to punish the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks also needs to be hastened.