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| Body language alone not enough | | | | There is a reason to feel happy over Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s body language while hugging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York but nothing in it to feel too much happy and contended. Body language from Pakistan has always been perfect but delivery was never. Pakistan’s words can never be taken on their face value. There are innumerable instances of Pakistan dragging feet from promises but to name a few -ceasefire violations have again become routine, and the commitment to end the use of Pakistani soil for terrorist activities against India, promised in January 2004, is a dead letter, as the massive ISI-engineered destruction of the Indian embassy in Kabul and numerous terrorist attacks within India demonstrate. Influential establishment voices here believe that it was easier to do business with Gen. Pervez Musharraf because, as military supremo, he was all-powerful. This perception is at variance with the historical processes that have defined India-Pakistan ties. The truth is that the security establishment is what counted in Pakistan in the Musharraf era, and this is the case today. But that security establishment has been buffeted by forces it once lorded over. It still controls but no longer enjoys hegemony. It is questioned by civil society more deeply than before and has palpably lost ground to the forces of extremism and terrorism that it fostered. The former President, a charismatic figure, had ceased to be effective much before the civilians arrived on the scene last February. So, it is best to deal with the multiple centres, barring the extremists, that have appeared because yesterday's focal point is now blurred. Presumably it is in this spirit that the Prime Minister engaged the Pakistan President. It is surprising to find that the joint anti-terrorism mechanism will meet next month. The mechanism was to cater for information exchange to put down terrorism, but it got nowhere. By agreeing to go back to it even as a diplomatic gesture to an incoming civilian President, New Delhi can be said to be guilty of pusillanimity. At a personal level, Mr Zardari has been extremely generous to the Prime Minister, calling him the "architect of modern India". But can he implement goodwill ideas that he may profess for India-Pakistan relations. This is not to doubt his sincerity but to take into account the political reality in a country in flux and gripped by instability. Pakistan is also under enormous pressure from the United States to at last perform in the fight against Al Qaeda. Any Pakistan leader in such circumstances has to be solicitous of India. It is in this spirit that Mr Zardari's observations on Kashmir should be taken. He has said the issue should be settled bilaterally if possible although the UN was always an option, and he pointedly did not speak of the old UN resolutions. Can the line be maintained once he is back in Pakistan? For feeling happy, we need to wait for Pakistan translating words into actions. God willing that happens! |
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