| |
Indo-Pak peace, round 1: Still
standing
By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - Not much was expected from the
three-day talks between Indian and Pakistani officials,
the first such interaction in three years, that ended in
Islamabad on Wednesday. But in keeping with the recent
bonhomie and restraint between the two countries, the
historic interaction turned out to be more than just
figuring out the timeframe, structure and format of
future discussions.
There were indications of
the issues that are likely to figure after a new
government is formed in India following elections in a
couple of months. It has become clear that apart from
the regular topics of Kashmir and cross-border
terrorism, nuclear proliferation will be one more vexed
issue on which there will have to be substantial
negotiations.
As matters fall in place, it is
also apparent that sitting across the table and plenty
of shaking hands is the easy part, sorting out issues
that have spanned decades is the challenge. Though the
top brass of Pakistan's leadership ultimately had their
say in the course of the three days, there was no
grandstanding on issues. The statements remained
understated and rhetoric was restrained. The media got
to know only about agreements. The differences were kept
under wraps.
This week, both countries responded
to pressures, albeit on entirely different issues, from
the United States. Pakistan President General Pervez
Musharraf made a categorical statement that his
country's nuclear facilities would not be open to
inspection by US, or international monitors. India, on
the other hand, criticized the US over anti-outsourcing
laws, with commerce minister Arun Jaitley saying that
any progress in World Trade Organization negotiations
would be pegged to the US approach to outsourcing. India
and Pakistan also found themselves on the same side of
the nuclear non-proliferation regime by agreeing to
remain outside the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
These were the background happenings to the talks.
Day 1: More in the nature of
handshakes and a reflection of an overall "feel good"
attitude between the two nations. Proposals regarding
modalities and timeframe for resumption of the composite
dialogue process were exchanged. For two countries that
have usually talked in very different terms on every
issue, both the Pakistani and Indian foreign offices
issued almost identical statements that expressed
satisfaction at the progress made on the first day. The
Indians said that the talks were held in a "cordial and
friendly atmosphere", while Pakistani foreign office
spokesman Masood Khan described them as "cordial and
constructive".
No substantive matter, whether on
Kashmir, terrorism or nuclear issues, was discussed. It
was clear that at such an early stage, nothing inimical
was allowed to slip out, especially to the large media
contingent ever-ready to dissect every word and
happening. On flexibility on Kashmir, Khan said: "That
state has not come. Let this round conclude. We will
know about any flexibility only later." The present
discussion, he said, is only on the agenda, structure,
format and timeframe of the future dialogue.
Arun Kumar Singh, joint secretary in the foreign
ministry, led the Indian delegation. Jalil Abbas Jilani,
director general (South Asia) led the Pakistan
delegation. Ironically, Jilani was earlier expelled from
India on charges of bribing separatist forces in
Kashmir.
Day 2: Arun Singh began
parleys with Pakistan foreign secretary Riaz Khokar in
preparation for Khokar's meeting with his Indian
counterpart, Shashank [uses only one name] the next day.
However, given the nature of the occasion, others joined
in. In keeping with the spirit of the talks, Pakistan
Foreign Minister Khursheed Mahmood Kasuri spoke to
several Indian journalists camped in Islamabad,
outlining Pakistan's expectations from India. Kasuri
said that once the composite dialogue begins, Pakistan
will be looking for progress on all issues equally.
Kasuri was quoted in The Times of India as
saying: "If there's goodwill, a lot can happen, but
let's remember it is a composite dialogue. Lots of
things are interlinked. The Pakistani government will
approach the dialogue with a positive state of mind.
When a country is prepared to go as far as a free trade
area," he said, "let our relations improve and some
issues which may have acquired political undertones will
also fall into place."
The muted Indian response
to recent revelations about the proliferation activities
of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who sold nuclear secrets, drew
praise from Kasuri. "I was happy that except for one
statement, by and large the Indian government was trying
to live up to the agreement reached by Yashwant Sinha
and myself that moderation of language will play an
important part in our relations."
There were
indications that the talks were not only about dates.
Several Indian papers reported that Pakistan has asked
India to negotiate a joint agreement to lower the threat
of a nuclear or conventional war, and to scale back the
arms race. Quoting senior officials, reports said that
Pakistan hoped a "strategic restraint regime" could be
put on the agenda of peace talks. The proposal
apparently called for negotiations on the threshold for
minimum nuclear deterrence. "There should not be an
open-ended race for strategic or conventional arms. It
also aims to limit the risk of a nuclear conflict and a
missile race," an official was quoted as saying.
Day 3: In a signal that he was
very much in the loop about all that was happening,
Musharraf had his say. What was expected to be announced
later in the day was known much earlier when the
president said that the next round of peace talks with
India will take place later this year, just after the
Indian elections. The interaction will be at the
political level, with foreign ministers from the two
sides getting involved in the negotiations. Given the
nature of relations, this was described as a
"breakthrough". Musharraf broke the news in a speech at
a conference of Islamic clerics. "The talks have been
held now. I want to tell you that in July or August, God
willing, in May or June, the next secretary-level talks
will be held, immediately after the elections in India,"
he said. "The Kashmir issue will be included and in July
or August, a foreign minister-level composite dialogue
will be held."
In an interview that appeared in
the Financial Times of London, Musharraf said that
Pakistan had no interest in matching India's nuclear
weapons development and did not need outside help to
maintain or advance its program. He rejected any move to
bring in foreign inspectors to monitor Pakistan's
nuclear weapons or civil nuclear facilities after Khan
confessed to selling nuclear technology to Libya, Iran
and North Korea.
Meanwhile, Shashank and Khokhar
met in Islamabad. They announced that India and Pakistan
had agreed on a five-point agenda to initiate the
composite dialogue process with a reiteration of the
dates that Musharraf had announced. "Modalities and the
timeframe on all subjects of the agenda for a composite
dialogue were discussed and both sides agreed that they
would approach the composite dialogue with a sincere
desire to discuss issues to arrive at a peaceful
solution of bilateral issues, including Jammu and
Kashmir to the satisfaction of both sides," Khokhar
said. He added that the foreign ministers of the two
countries would be meeting in August to review the
overall progress. This will be preceded by a day-long
meeting of foreign secretaries.
"There is
realization on both sides that war is not an option.
That itself is a very constructive conclusion.
Therefore, we will explore every possibility for durable
peace, security and resolution of all issues", he said.
"We hope that this roadmap will lead to the settlement
of all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan and
contribute to global peace," Khokar said.
This
was round 1 of Indo-Pakistan talks, and it turned out to
be more of a sizing-up exercise. The long and difficult
road lies ahead.
Siddharth Srivastava
is a New Delhi-based journalist.
(Copyright
2004 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
contact content@atimes.com for
information on our sales and syndication
policies.)
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
