Modi’s move to cancel Indo-Pak talks a fumble in leadership test: report

NYT editorial says Pakistan has had regular contact with Kashmiri separatist leaders over the years

A leading American newspaper Wednesday criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling off foreign secretary-level talks, saying he “fumbled an early test of leadership”.

“There are no two countries in the world that need to talk, and talk regularly, more than these nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours whose tensions must be carefully managed,” The New York Times (NYT) said in an editorial, referring to New Delhi’s move to cancel the August 25 talks after Pakistani High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit invited separatist Kashmir leaders for talks on the decades-old territorial dispute.

“Mr Modi raised expectations that he would work harder at resolving cross-border differences when he took the unorthodox step of inviting Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, along with other regional leaders to his inauguration in May, The Times said.

“The photo of the two men shaking hands came to symbolize the promise of that moment. But that felicitous picture seemed a fading memory when, on Monday, India canceled foreign-secretary-level talks, which would have been the first in two years, that were scheduled to take place in Islamabad on August, 25. The proximate cause was India’s anger over a meeting that Pakistan’s ambassador to India held with a separatist leader from Kashmir, the disputed territory over which the two countries have fought three wars.”

The newspaper also cited other factors for the cancellation of talks, including violations of a 2003 cease-fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir.

“Meanwhile, political rhetoric has grown more strident. In his toughest statement on Pakistan to date, Mr Modi last week charged that Pakistan ‘has lost the strength to fight a conventional war but continues to engage in the proxy war of terrorism.’

He even chose a politically charged venue for his remarks, the border town of Kargil, where the two sides fought in 1999,” it said.

About scheduling a meeting with the separatist leader from Kashmir before the talks with India, the Times said, “Pakistan has had regular contact with Kashmiri separatist leaders over the years, and previous Indian prime ministers, including the last prime minister from Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, Atal Bihari Vajayee, lived with the practice.

The paper called canceling of the meeting “an overreaction” on India’s part, especially when it could have served as an opportunity to discuss grievances and press for a solution.

“Absent such an airing, there is a tendency on both sides to escalate the tensions, with the Indian news media emphasizing Mr. Modi’s willingness to take a tough stand and Pakistan asserting it was not ‘subservient’ to India.”

The Times said, “There will always be political excuses not to take risks. Both leaders have challenges at home, but Mr. Modi, who won a huge victory in the May election, is in the strongest political position, while Mr. Sharif is facing street protests led by politicians seeking his ouster.

“What’s needed is a meeting between the leaders to establish a continuing dialogue. Next month’s United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York offers a good venue. It would be foolish and dangerous to let this episode destroy the chance for a more stable relationship.”