The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : A PARADIGM SHIFT

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Friday, Sep 10, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

A PARADIGM SHIFT

ISLAMABAD'S DECISION TO move away from the long-hardened position that it would not develop a meaningful relationship with India until the Jammu and Kashmir issue is resolved must be heartily welcomed. As Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri explained in an interview with The Hindu , the leadership in his country has begun the process of "conditioning its public to a different level of relations" with its eastern neighbour. There is hope that the project to construct an oil pipeline from Iran to India will bring about such a change in attitude since it will confer immense benefit on the country of transit; the Petroleum Ministers of the two countries are likely to discuss the subject in the near future. As indicated in the joint statement issued at the end of the talks between Mr. Kasuri and Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh, Islamabad is now willing to engage actively with New Delhi on matters such as the enhancement of people-to-people contacts and the expansion of trade. The two countries have decided to create a new category in the visa regime to facilitate trans-border tourism especially by groups. While the proposal for a bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad has not made headway because of differences on the nature of the travel documents to be used by passengers, expert-level meetings are to be held to discuss all aspects of the matter. Pakistan is still hesitant to grant India the "most favoured nation" status because it insists the same benefits will accrue once the South Asia Free Trade Area is established. However, the two countries have decided to set up a committee of experts to discuss all trade-related matters.

While India and Pakistan have only begun to take the first steps towards building a new future, they have shown a commendable willingness to deal urgently with some of the issues that have often brought them into conflict in the past. They have agreed to discuss further the modalities of disengaging and redeploying forces currently positioned in Siachen and to hold expert-level talks on confidence building measures vis-à-vis nuclear as well as conventional weapons. Even as they wound up the first phase of the revived composite dialogue, the two Foreign Ministers confirmed their faith in the process by outlining the schedule for the second phase that will begin with a Foreign Secretary-level meeting in December. A conscious effort was also made to tone down the rhetoric that the two countries usually resort to when they dwell on issues of special concern. Mr. Kasuri left no one in doubt that Pakistan continues to regard Jammu and Kashmir as a central issue. However, he explained that some strong statements from the Indian side provoked his half-hearted attempt to revive the now-defunct idea of a plebiscite and to get the Kashmiris included as a separate party to the negotiations. New Delhi has legitimate concerns about the infiltration of militants across the Line of Control and about Islamabad not living up to its promises to cut off assistance to terrorist groups. However, for the moment at least, India has been content with accepting Pakistan's reaffirmation of its earlier commitment.

The outcome of the first phase of the composite dialogue will reassure India that the contentious issues with Pakistan will be easier to handle once confidence is built between the people of the two countries. The paradigm shift that the establishment in Islamabad has embarked upon has clearly been influenced by the groundswell of opinion among its own people in favour of normalisation.

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