A lot of hullabaloo but not much seems to be happening that could be termed encouraging or positive. Enthusiasm vis-à-vis composite dialogue between the two arch rivals seems to have enthused Pakistan more than India. Lukewarm response to Pakistan’s overtures for bilateral talks loudly speaks of India’s indifference towards building a congenial and mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan.
While Pakistan sincerely continues to make overtures to its neighbour-India to hold a composite dialogue on all long-drawn issues, including the major issue of plebiscite in Indian held Kashmir, India persists in giving a cold shoulder to Pakistan’s sincere urge to augment its friendship with India. As known to the world, India remains totally unmoved by Pakistan’s call for dialogue. It, in fact, has categorically ruled out recommencement of the broad-based peace dialogue, despite repeated calls made particularly by a person of no less than the stature of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, since his coming to power, and most recently by Pakistan Premier’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sartaj Aziz during his mid-November visit to the Indian capital-New Delhi.
Analysts believe that the stalemate over renewal of the composite dialogue would perhaps continue till the holding of general elections in India, in May 2014. This strong belief of the analysts stands further strengthened by India’s External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid’s mid-October public statement that Delhi would not quickly return to the composite dialogue process. In this context one might recall that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New York on September 29, 2013 ended with the Indian side emphasizing on “improvement of the state of affairs” on the Line of Control (LOC) as a prerequisite for moving forward towards renewal of bilateral negotiations and improving relations between the two countries. If the forecast made by the analysts turns out to be true then the fate of the composite dialogue would largely depend on how the succeeding (new) government in India would look at this important issue and how much weight would it be willing to attach to it.
Although tensions on the LOC have significantly declined (with much less ceasefire violations in November 2013 compared to what it had been in the earlier months), no signal has yet emanated from the Indian side for resumption of the bilateral talks. In fact, the Indian stance on the issue continues to remain unaffected. India must realize that in ‘reciprocity’ lies the resumption and success of the bilateral talks. It must sincerely and quickly reciprocate Pakistan’s overtures for dialogue. As only in dialogue lies resolution of not only all unresolved, contentious issues between the two countries but also the progress and prosperity of its two peoples and the people of the region.
M FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad