Round The World

New Delhi, 27 July 2011

Indo-Pak Talks

MERE DIPLOMATIC NICETIES

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

A series of Indo-Pak talks across different levels have finally culminated into the Foreign Minister-level talks in New Delhi. Besides the seriousness of the purpose, the latest round of talks has hogged the limelight because of the arrival of the newly-appointed young Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar. The contrast to her Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna, who is probably one of the oldest foreign ministers around also added to media speculation over   the camaraderie between the two.

But, leaving such speculations aside, the talks, although incremental at best, have set in motion another round of high-level meetings between the two rivals, thus igniting analysts in both the countries. The moot question is: What will all this lead to? Clearly, the young Khar could not have shouldered such a high profile portfolio without the consent of the Pakistani army.

Yet, one does not know the political views of the new minister. Where do her leanings lie? Is she a mere stooge of bigger political voices? Will she merely succumb to domestic political vortex of a problem-ridden Pakistan or will she prove to be a saner voice, crusading for greater peace and security in the sub-continent? Moreover, her mettle would be tested to the maximum in a Pakistan that is facing one of the worst periods in its history.

Our neighbour is suffering from a host of terrorist attacks internally, its image has taken a beating internationally and worse, its ties with the United States are under major strain. One can only be cautiously optimistic. The Foreign Secretary level talks preceding the Foreign Minister Dialogue reportedly ended on a positive note, carrying forward the understanding achieved during the previous talks in Islamabad.

Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) have been the thrust of the present round of talks, concentrating on people-to-people contacts and other policies that are intended to further rectify the much too evident “trust deficit” between the two. Diplomatically speaking, all would react positively to Delhi and Islamabad coming round to talk to each other after a long lull. But, what would assuage the Indian public, who has suffered repeated rounds of terrorist attacks mostly sourced to terrorist havens and support systems across the border?

Nothing less than the elimination of terrorist groups based in Pakistan that have given shape to such repeated incidents of violence on Indian soil. Hence, can we expect a drastic change of character from the Pakistani establishment?  Given the history of Pakistan’s connivance in giving birth to India-centric terrorist groups responsible for a series of crimes, it would be naïve to expect any groundbreaking assistance from Pakistan, as one has seen in the dilly-dallying attitude towards the Mumbai attacks trials.

Add to this the India-fixation of the Pakistani army, and one gets a recipe that will be hard to chew. Amidst the recent round of India-Pakistan talks, another episode of the currently strained US-Pakistan ties emerged: the arrest of Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai in the US. According to reports, Fai headed a Washington-based non-profit organization called the Kashmiri American Council using funds channeled through unauthorized means from Pakistan’s ISI.

Fai is alleged to have spent large sums of money over a period of time trying to influence US lawmakers specifically towards the Kashmir issue. Why the American agencies have arrested him now is an important question. Are Fai’s activities exceptional, one of a kind?  Not at all. The arrest coming amidst Hillary Clinton’s visit to India might give more reasons for Pakistan to worry. While India’s image in Washington is better than ever before, Pakistan’s has degraded with many US policymakers seriously questioning the continuation of aid to Islamabad.

So what do the Foreign Minister talks have to offer in terms of the fight against terrorism, specifically the ones hatched on Pakistani soil?  Nothing. Many confidence building measures have been reiterated and re-emphasized including an agreement to convene separate meetings of the Expert Groups on Nuclear and Conventional CBMs in Islamabad in September 2011; easing of cross LoC trade and travel facilities; smoothening the process of release of fishermen and prisoners from both sides; and the continuation of dialogue and meetings on a host of other issues concerning the two nations.

CBMs, in any form, that help towards easing the tension on our borders should be welcome. But undoubtedly, if any steps can push the ties to a different level, it has to be Pakistan’s sincerity towards curbing terrorism against India. However, it would be misleading to expect Islamabad to take any drastic steps, to change the entire strategic calculations in the subcontinent. And, it is unfortunate that there is not even a small sign of something concrete being done apart from the superlatives and diplomatic phrases reserved for such high-level meets.

The Joint statement coming out New Delhi talks toed the usual line, “The Ministers agreed that terrorism poses a continuing threat to peace and security and reiterated the firm and undiluted commitment of the two countries to fight and eliminate this scourge in all its forms and manifestations. Both sides agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism including among relevant departments as well as agencies to bring those responsible for terror crimes to justice.”

Both sides have tried to play safe when it comes to the contentious Kashmir issue probably because of the fear that any heated exchanges over it would have dead-locked the entire process. “The Ministers held discussions on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and agreed to the need for continued discussions, in a purposeful and forward looking manner, with a view to finding a peaceful solution by narrowing divergences and building convergences,” read the  joint statement.

But Khar meeting Kashmiri separatist leaders and reiterating Pakistan’s support for right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people (before the main talks) did raise some eyebrows in the New Delhi. Before departing to India, she also met the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front Chief Yasin Malik in Lahore.

Clearly, the effort has been to refrain from ruffling controversial feathers. But despite the measures taken to increase the over-used word “confidence” between the two people, it simply boils down to the question of Pakistan’s sincerity in fighting terrorism. The unraveling of US-Pakistan ties and the exposure of certain elements like David Headley might put pressure on Islamabad to act but in such cases, the resultant actions might prove merely exigent gimmicks.

Sadly, Indian foreign policy has a history of being merely reactive and of favoring diplomatic niceties and caution to pragmatic decisive actions. Actions are needed; efficient enough to pre-empt challenges and meet them in the face, keeping India’s security interest at the forefront. India is a major power at least in the region and it needs to act like one. On the other hand, Pakistan is a country struggling to set its own house in order and needs to recognize where it stands today.

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)