The Simla spirit

A way forward to peace

During intensive sabre-rattling and the apprehensive three minutes to nuclear boom and doom atmosphere, jingoistic speeches, media and extremists berserk urging upon their governments not to take everything lying down, I was overjoyed to note certain silver linings from under the dark clouds.

It was a happy augury to receive a news item with a video clip of Samjhota Express making its final stop at the Old New Delhi Station with 130 passengers that boarded the train from Wagha sector in Pakistan. It was much more than a usual scene to see the divided families of the two countries welcoming their relatives with happy and broad smiles on their faces with invisible contempt for all those doom and gloom forecasts of imminent war.

What increased my optimism was another news item that cross border trade between the two countries has not disrupted despite the grim atmosphere. One of my friends in the import business said that this time Indian onions brought more tears. Notwithstanding all the hullabaloo of war, it is heartening to note that DGMOs continue to meet. And the message that the two National Security Advisors—Messers Ajit Doel and Lt General ® Nasir Janjua talked on phone and agreed to defuse apparently explosive situation. No doubt all this and that is music to the air.

I am hopeful that sanity would prevail. India would cool down and restrain the trigger happy security forces enforcing curfew with utmost violence with casualties increasing every hour adding fuel to the fire. Intifada seems to have achieved its objective, the popular crescendo demanding United Nations to implement Security Council Resolutions for the right of self-determination—has been given new lease of life.

Pakistan pushed into corner by the blame game has been trying to deflect the diplomatic offensive by its neighbor to isolate it in the international community. Its ready willingness to join probe with India to find out who the culprits were has not been successful. All the hope of speedy normalisation of relations between the two countries following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December last year, seems to have been consigned to the archives of the respective Foreign Offices.

I being an optimist had thought that whatever was happening was a seasonal affair. Since many years I have noticed –irrespective of sporadic violations on the Line –of-Control (LOC)—matters got heated and into the media headlines—nearer to the coming winter and most of the time in September. Advent of snowfall subsequently cools down the tempers and when it becomes intense—the terrain gets literally frozen.

This notion that it is part of a seasonal affair got ruled out by the increasing violation of human rights. With an ultra rightist Prime Minister in power, there seems to be no let up. On both sides there is manifestation of method in the madness. Apparently policy planners in Delhi feel that it can crush the intifada and get away by imposing constitutional changes that strengthen the case of disputed territory as its integral part.

The joke seems to have taken much more serious proportion following hard hitting speeches by his ministers and Prime Minister Modi himself especially the one in which he threatened Pakistan to cut off water from source to its rivers in violation of internationally binding Indus Water Treaty. Rightly so, Pakistan’s Advisor for Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has described this threat as amounting to declaration of war. Indian boycott of the SAARC summit that was to be held in November in Islamabad and its lobbying has ended in cancellation.
The growing tension between two nuclear countries has been cause of concern in many capitals. United States has urged upon both to cool down and resume talks to resolve disputes that keep Islamabad and Delhi at logger heads. More or less this is the view of other friendly countries too.

Pakistan’s trust worthy friend China “hopes that Pakistan and India will strengthen channels for dialogue, appropriately handle any differences, improve bilateral relations and together protect the region’s peace and stability”. This was conveyed by its deputy foreign minister to Pakistan’s special envoys to Beijing for Kashmir, according to the Chinese foreign ministry website.

This statement pushed me into memory lane. I recall Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s visit to China soon after her assumption of office in early 1989. I have had the pleasure of accompanying her father martyred Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974 to Beijing when both of its great leaders—Chairman Mao and Prime Minister Zhou en-Lai—were alive. The great warmth and unprecedented reception extended to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was a clear manifestation of the love and affection that SZAB had infused in consolidating Pakistan’s relations with China taking it to unsurpassable heights of friendship.

It was Benazir Bhutto’s “sentimental journey”. Obviously she was excited—she had been to Beijing with her father in 1972. She had seen closely its top political hierarchy. She knew the depth of relations that SZAB had achieved with the Chinese leadership painstakingly striven during his six visits. Her trip besides being nostalgic was an opportunity to pick up the pieces and revive ties with China to the same height that SZAB had left.

Premier Bhutto had more than two and a half hour long private meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng. They covered vast areas of bilateral relations, Pakistan’s role under Benazir’s leadership in global and regional politics. Being a senior leader Li Peng gave her his world view of the possible future course of currents and cross currents in global politics. His advice to Benazir Bhutto served as a guiding principle for her foreign policy. She also had more than 90-minute long meeting with Supreme leader aging Deng Xiaopeng.

Benazir Bhutto was fond of unwinding herself with her close aides. I being one of those very few fortunate ones who were trusted to share what transpired between the two prime ministers. Martyred Benazir disclosed that Li Peng stressed upon her to concentrate on economic development. He was aware of Pakistan’s concerns over the unresolved Kashmir issue. He told her never to allow the situation to reach a point of no return and that she should follow China’s policy with India.

China has a border dispute with India and been to war with it in 1962. Notwithstanding the dispute and skirmishes, China has developed trade and commercial ties with Delhi growing each year more than the previous. Li Peng told Benazir not to ever allow situation to drift in a manner that would retard trade and economic relations. Finally, about Kashmir, he assured full Chinese support to Pakistan’s point of view. However, adding that “don’t talk of war” pursue negotiated settlement.

Li Peng’s advice became a guiding light for her. When she became Prime Minister second time, she left no stone unturned in developing economy and making sincere efforts for the resolution of Kashmir dispute with India. She stoutly opposed doing anything that would have given India an excuse to market externally the Kashmiri intifada as a movement supported from outside as had become the case during General Musharraf’s tenure. Her instructions to me as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK were to mobilise international support for the people of Kashmir on gross violation of human rights. She believed that if any external physical support was found in aid of peaceful Kashmiri freedom struggle—it would just subvert their genuine cause.

It is good that Prime Minister has decided to get Parliament on board and its joint session is on. Earlier the All Parties’s Conference (APC)-otherwise considered as a gathering of political oldies—was made a serious thing by the presence of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairperson PPP.  He added stature and importance to it. His forceful speech on the need of national unity forgetting political differences reminded me of both his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his mother Benazir Bhutto.

The young man surely outshone and overwhelmed the senior leaders by the sincerity in his urge to get united for a national cause. His emphasis for seeking peaceful solution of Kashmir issue was reflective of the policies of Bhutto Sahib who signed Simla agreement with Mrs Indira Gandhi for sustained peace to this day—43 years long and still holding on. His mother Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto too followed the peaceful route and had reached an agreement on Siachin Glacier—the highest battle ground– to demilitarise it with Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Pakistan has to have a proactive foreign policy. Simla agreement signed by Bhutto sahib and Mrs Indira Gandhiaccepted Kashmir as a disputed territory and they had agreed to resolve it bilaterally without prejudice to UN Security Council’s resolutions. Leaders of the two countries need to revisit Simla now as way out from a near war like situation. They need to show the same quality of statesmanship that led to Simla Agreement without outside initiation. Making jingoistic speeches or rousing hatred in public rallies—would not serve cause of peace and stability in the region.

* author is former High Commissioner of Pakistan and a veteran journalist