Monday, Nov 03, 2003
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India & World
By Amit Baruah
A senior British Government official told visiting Indian presspersons that London found it difficult to contemplate substantive talks between India and Pakistan till the problem of cross-border terrorism persisted. The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, was aware of the "sequence" that India preferred — substantive action from Pakistan on cross-border terrorism — before talks could begin. Britain, he claimed, had made it clear to Pakistan that meaningful action on cross-border terrorism was essential. "Official tolerance by Pakistan of terrorist groups is not even in Pakistan's interest." The official felt that a resolution of the vexed Jammu and Kashmir question would allow India to play its "full global role." Due to the Kashmir issue, India was often seen in hyphenated terms since it got linked to Pakistan. Welcoming the recent proposals made by India to improve the environment with Pakistan, the official said even the April 18 peace offer made by the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was a pleasant surprise since not much had been expected in an election year. Pointing out that the two countries had built up a "complex memory" on the issues that divided them over the last 55 years, the official said there were no easy solutions at hand. "The (rapprochement) process should begin with confidence-building measures." "It (the dialogue) should also not begin with an outcome in mind," the British official said, hinting that London was not about to get into the business of prescribing solutions. On the dozen proposals put forward by India to Pakistan as confidence-building measures, he said: "The proof of the pudding will be in the eating." Pakistan was "wary" of any move that would be seen sidelining the "core" issue of Kashmir. Asked who should be the "interlocutor" in eventual talks with India, the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, or the Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the official preferred not to comment on the issue.On the key question of a return to full democracy in Pakistan, he said movement on this front had been disappointing. "Further moves towards democracy are required if Pakistan is to rejoin the councils of the Commonwealth." Referring to Afghanistan, the official claimed that some new, aggressive steps had been taken by Islamabad against Al-Qaeda elements. Conceding that the Afghan-related security situation had to be addressed by Islamabad, he said: "Pakistan is in no doubt about what needs to be done."Speaking about South Asia, he said Kashmir, Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka were all serious issues in the region. "Basic security problems have to be addressed." He said the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) had not got off the ground and suggested that the process of economic and political bonding was crucial. Asked about the BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand — Economic Cooperation) initiative, which was being seen as an option to SAARC, he replied: "These things are not mutually exclusive."India, the official said, was a big country in the region and had to be conscious of the concerns of other countries. London, he said, would be looking closely at the countdown to the scheduled SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad in January.
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