- Track II again?
Resumption of Pak-India Track II diplomacy – after a high-powered Indian delegation visited Islamabad in April – reflects a realisation in Delhi that the policy of no engagement with Islamabad might have run its course. Yet welcome as the development is nobody is holding their breath just yet, and rightly so. Pakistan is going to the polls in a few months and the BJP, rooted in hatred for its neighbour country, is not going to take any concrete steps so close to a change of guard in Pakistan. At best, it will test the mood across the border.
India, too, will have a general election the next year. And, again, it is unlikely that the ruling party there will incorporate such a pronounced policy shift with so little time left. However the engagement is still welcome. The recent India-China thaw is the perfect example of employing a soft approach to overcome hard problems. Delhi and Beijing kept up diplomatic contact as well as commercial exchange despite the tense border standoff. Eventually, the two heads of state met in a relaxed atmosphere and promised not to repeat mistakes of the past. Perhaps the Chinese put a word in the Indian premier’s ear during the meetings, which might explain his decision to agree to backdoor diplomacy again.
Pakistan and India have already set a precedent of Track II diplomacy bringing the two back to progressive negotiations. According to former foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri, back door negotiations helped restore trust between the Musharraf and Manmohan administrations to the point that they came within a signature of settling the Sir Creek issue. But then the so called judicial revolution erupted in Pakistan and put off a possible Manhoman visit. The two countries must, therefore, remain engaged and Track II diplomacy must be allowed to build momentum even as both go through their election exercises.