Round The World
New Delhi, 4 May 2016
India-Pakistan Talks
ANOTHER CASE OF
MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
By Amrita Banerjee
(School of International Studies,
JNU, New Delhi)
The recent meeting between India and Pakistan’s
Foreign Secretaries in Delhi
served as a reality check on the stalemate in the bilateral dialogue between
both countries. Meeting on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference, the
two officials failed to find common ground to kick start the Comprehensive
Bilateral Dialogue process or even agree on a timetable.
Both underscored the talks bore no
results. Add to this, the separate statements by the two foreign offices listing
point-wise the issues discussed were an equal indicator of the discord.
Predictably, New Delhi raised its concerns about
Pathankot, the 26/11 investigation, and consular access to alleged spy
Kulbhushan Jadhav. Islamabad brought up the
supposed Indian interference in Baluchistan, concerns about the Samjhauta
Express blast investigations and again reiterated Kashmir
as the ‘core issue’, echoing its traditional position on the dispute.
Neither mentioned the other’s
concerns, with both statements aimed at their respective domestic audiences
rather than a bilateral outreach.
Undeniably, despite many setbacks,
there have been numerous occasions over the past year to encourage hope that
dialogue will acquire some sort of permanence. To begin with, the meeting in Ufa between the two Prime Ministers that drew up an
ambitious road map for talks, subsequent meeting in Paris and Prime Minister
Modi’s surprise Christmas visit to Lahore
gave new hopes and pulled ties out of a deep freeze.
Alas the Pathankot attack upset this
blossoming relation yet again. Things were revived by Foreign Minister Sushma
Swaraj’s December visit to Islamabad
when a new Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue between the Foreign Secretaries was
announced. A sustained contact between the National Security Advisers also gave
an impression of momentum towards a historic summit in November 2016 when Islamabad would host the
SAARC Summit.
Importantly, Prime Minister Modi and
Nawaz Sharif, who have kept a direct line of conversation alive, have expressed
their vision of bilateral ties with clarity. It is now for the two Governments-which
in Pakistan’s
case also means the military establishment to work towards realizing that
vision.
Undoubtedly, terrorism is a real
threat for India be it from Pakistan-based terrorists in the Valley or the
radicalization of Indian youths by the Islamic State; an issue discussed by the
Intelligence Bureau recently in a two day conference.
India made clear that it refuses on
principle to encourage separatism or interfere in other countries’ internal
matters. As this is part of New Delhi’s larger case that all terrorism charges
must be treated equally and there can be no distinction between ‘bad’ and
‘good’ terrorists.
India’s moral position on terrorism and
its refusal to bend its principles regardless of provocations from repeated
terror attacks have benefited its global outreach on crucial issues, including
security. However, the need of the hour is a constructive discussion on this as
both nations cannot inch towards peace without resolving this important
security concern.
Moreover, things take an uglier turn
when another neighbour China
provides cover to Pakistan-based terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar
by blocking action against including their names in the UN terror roll.
Interestingly, recently Beijing also advocated direct talks between New Delhi and Islamabad
as it was anchored in the UN 1267 Committee rules and procedure where the Azhar
issue was raised.
Clearly, China’s double standards vis-à-vis terrorism and separatism are
revealed when it relates to its own national sovereignty. Highlighted by Beijing’s annoyance over India
issuing a visa and later revoking it to Chinese dissident Uyghur leader Dolkun
Isa to visit Dharamsala with participants representing Taiwan, Tibet and Uyghur regions.
True, every country has the right to
preserve their national interests and territorial integrity but at the same
time they should also be sensitive to neighbourhood countries concerns. Good
relations can be sustained and maintained only on mutual recognition and
respect for each other.
Notably, the lack of unanimity
especially the position taken by the Hurriyat leaders during Indo-Pak bilateral
talks further complicate the situation Their insistence on supporting Pakistan on
Kashmir being the core issue is not only
distasteful but also has definite political connotations so far as Kashmir’s
domestic politics is concerned.
Besides, Islamabad
reserves the right to talk about ‘Kashmir’
only when it has set its house in order. The Pakistani Army Chief’s recent removal
of 13 officers, implicitly suggests that Prime Minister Sharif need to quit.
More so, after names of some family members appeared in the recent Panama Papers
leak.
Plainly, it seems the military is
getting ready to take over the reins of Government for the fifth time in its 69
years of existence. Obviously, to perform its self-acquired additional role of
defending national security.
Grapevine in Pakistan
suggests four future possibilities: One, Sharif’s Government is forced to
resign under some imagined public pressure and elections held again. Two, the Government
goes but is replaced with a broad-based National Government.
Three, Prime Minister Sharif resigns
but his Pakistan Muslim League-N continues under another leader. Last, the
military steps in acknowledging the reality that the civil leadership and the
generals can never be on the same page.
There is no gainsaying, the
oligarchic warfare in Pakistan
has turned more complex. Wherein, this uncertainty is bound to have serious
repercussions in India-Pakistan’s bilateral relationship. The more productive
way of moving forward would have been to schedule structured meetings at the Foreign
Secretaries’ level for the next few months, even as the two National Security
Advisers take up issues related to terrorism in the wake of the Pathankot
attack.
Islamabad has been particularly reluctant for
full- fledged discussion on terrorism, but as it hosts the SAARC summit later this
year, it might be willing to be more flexible in framing the talk’s agenda.
Today, many question the feasibility
of such stop-start talks but the larger fact remains that besides strengthening
talks and the dialogue process, it is high time to fortify our country by
strengthening her militarily too.
Thus, India’s recent decision to install
a dozen ‘laser walls’ along the Indo-Pak border, given the impossibility of
active human surveillance along its boundary, is certainly a laudable step. Time
to take our security in own hands.
In sum, even as the Indo-Pakistan
knot might be difficult to detangle but it isn’t an impossible task. In a world
where US and Cuba have restored ties, Russia and China have formed a close
partnership and Iran has emerged from isolation it is not too much to hope that
India and Pakistan can at least discuss key issues within a structured
framework and continue making attempts till they achieve something concrete and
substantial to their mutual satisfaction. --- INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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