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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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Indo - Pak dialogue : A good beginning by Jayatilleke de Silva Well begun is half done, says an old adage. The Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan that concluded last Monday is a good beginning though not half but the entire range of issues remain to be settled.
What was conspicuous in the talks was the transparent sincerity and seriousness on both sides. It would have been na‹ve to expect a sensational beak through given the fifty-year-old history of conflict, particularly on the thorny issue of Jammu and Kashmir. In a radical departure from the past India discussed Kashmir specific issues and Pakistan agreed to discuss the whole gamut of issues without demanding that Kashmir be discussed first. The immediate outcome of the talks were: 1) an agreement to open a Pakistan Consulate in Mumbai and an Indian Consulate in Karachchi 2) the restoration of the strength of the High Commissions of the two countries to 110 3) an agreement (to be concluded shortly) to pre-notify the flight testing of missiles 4) the decision to release each other's fishermen held in detention and to put in place a mechanism for the return of unintentionally transgressing fishermen and their boats from the high seas without apprehending them 5) the decision to release early each other's civilian prisoners. Both sides also reiterated their commitment to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and their determination to implement the Shimla Agreement (in letter and spirit) signed by President Zulficar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India on July 2, 1972, thirty two years ago. By the Shimla Agreement the two sides agreed to respect the Line of Control resulting from the ceasefire of December 17, 1971 and refrain from altering it unilaterally. The implementation of the nuclear and other Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) will go a long way to enhance the prospects of future negotiations. The fact that the talks earlier started by the BJP Government had proceeded smoothly despite the change of government in New Delhi and the current turmoil in the ruling coalition in Islamabad is itself proof that peace is an objective desire of the people of both countries. Peace would no doubt release colossal amounts that are presently spent on armaments and warfare for the development of the industrial and agricultural potentials of the two countries and uplifting of millions of the poor. The joint statement issued at the end of the Foreign Secretaries meting sounded optimistic that talks would proceed constructively in the future. More meetings between the two sides are scheduled in July and August. Besides there are SAARC conferences during which there could be bilateral talks at high level. A thaw in the strained relations between the two nuclear giants of South Asia will no doubt have a sizeable impact in the region. It could give fresh momentum to SAARC initiatives on the creation of SAFTA and in working out of a common approach by SAARC countries in word fora. In the context of globalization and adverse WTO regimes imposed by the West on developing nations, particularly in relation to market liberalization in agriculture, such united efforts are imperative if the dreams of the South Asian masses for a better future are to be realized. A stable and peaceful South Asia is a sine qua non for peace in Asia where the majority of the people on earth live today. Peace and stability in the region would ensure such an awakening in Asia that would radically transform the world as Marx predicted more than a century and half ago. |
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