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A sound exercise

The United Progressive Alliance government, and in particular its astute External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, have done well to give high priority at this sensitive time to the strengthening of détente and the development of economic and people-to-people relations with Pakistan. These are early days for the new political dispensations in Islamabad and the provincial capitals. From a democratic standpoint of course, there have been major positive developments i n Pakistan’s politics. But negative developments such as the recent cross-Line of Control assaults on Indian forward positions and increased infiltration have raised some worries about what lies in store for India-Pakistan relations. In recent weeks, Islamabad has eased restraints on the jihadists. After the ministerial level review, with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, of the fourth round of the composite dialogue process, and his conversations with the top leaders of the major political parties, Mr. Mukherjee has come back with messages that bode well for the consolidation of the substantial progress achieved in recent years in bilateral relations.

The emphases the two sides place on what is crucial to the relationship doing well have been significantly different. While Mr. Mukherjee predicated progress in the relationship on ensuring “an atmosphere free from terrorism, violence, and the threat of it,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister emphasised the need to address “core issues.” He favoured a “grand reconciliation” with India through dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Sound politics and diplomacy seem eventually to have achieved a via media solution, at least on paper: enhance bilateral economic, cultural, and people-to-people relations and simultaneously attempt to resolve the outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Realistically, no one expects the Kashmir dispute to be resolved in the conceivable future. There is no question of India accepting Pakistan’s default option of a “solution in accordance with the United Nations resolutions” but a small window of opportunity has been opened up with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s openness to “innovative ideas.” There are also indications that a solution to the Sir Creek dispute could be in hand soon after the fifth round gets under way in July 2008. Further, New Delhi and Islamabad should be able to find a way to end the costly standoff over the Siachen Glacier. Raising the level of bilateral trade and investment and moving ahead quickly on the Iran-Pakistan-India and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipelines will give the two countries a mutual stake in peace and cooperation.

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