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| Indo-Pak Talks: Belligerent and ambitious Pakistan will not reform itself | | STARK REALITY | |
RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 26: The much-hyped India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks are over. Both the countries remain where they were before the talks, which continued for 90 minutes, as against the scheduled 30 minutes long meeting, held at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
In other words, nothing concrete emerged out of the meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir. And, it was not altogether unexpected considering the Pakistani belligerence and its territorial designs on India.
It would not be an overstatement if it is said that the talks between the two Foreign Secretaries have failed to break the ice, notwithstanding the fact that India maintained that it is prepared to hold discussions with Pakistan with an open mind and that it will keep its channels open. Pakistan also expressed similar views after the talks, but in a style and language that once again made it absolutely clear that Islamabad cannot and will not reform itself; cannot and will not change a bit its attitude to the issues like Jammu and Kashmir, the Indus waters, Siachen, Sir Creek. His remarks were candid, assertive, and even provocative.
That Pakistan will not budge from its stand and continue to remain aggressive, unyielding, non-cooperative and unreasonable and that it will not address the Indian grave concerns became quite evident from the statement Pakistan Foreign Secretary made during his conversation with media persons after his talks with his Indian counterpart were over.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister, among several other things, said: “The core issue is Kashmir and I conveyed to Indian side for finding a peaceful solution to this issue…It is an international issue and there are human rights violations in (the) Indian-occupied-Kashmir…(Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao did not reveal the truth and the truth was that I “raised (the Kashmir issue) extensively…(We are not responsible for what Jamaat-ul-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed says and does because he) does not speak for Pakistan…Pakistan cannot act against Hafiz Saeed for the reason that it has no proof of his involvement in the Mumbai terror attack…Terrorism is a global issue, which is also regional and local…We cannot deviate from our well known stand on Siachen, water and sir Creek…Composite dialogue should be revived…”
Even a superficial look at the statements made by Salman Bashir would make one conclude at once that Pakistan could go to any extent to achieve its geo-political goals and that it will never address the Indian concerns. One would also reach a conclusion that Islamabad would accept only such solutions to the issues Pakistan raised during the meeting as are acceptable to it.
It’s no wonder then that the outcome of the talks between the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Secretaries has not been taken very kindly in India. Many independent India-Pakistan watchers, like the BJP, have criticized the tone and tenor of the Pakistani Foreign Secretary and questioned the rationale behind the Indian insistence on talks with Pakistan. They have opined that New Delhi has committed a blunder by reengaging Pakistan, which continues to create troubles in Kashmir and extend all possible help to the anti-India forces, including terrorist organizations.
It is significant to note that the Indian Foreign Office, which otherwise ignores the Pakistani provocative actions, has taken note of the adverse reaction to the talks. It issued some clarifications to put things in perspective and inform the country as to what exactly was the nature and outcome of the discussion between the two Foreign Secretaries. So much so, it has said that whatever Salman Bashir said he said on the lines dictated by the Pakistani Army.
There are reasons to believe that the Indian Foreign Office will do a lot of explaining in the next few days in order to conciliate the Indian public opinion because the statements of the Pakistani Foreign Secretary have created widespread resentment across the country, barring among the Kashmiri separatists who have welcomed the outcome of the talks.
One can only express the hope that New Delhi would now think hundred times before carrying forward the dialogue process with Islamabad.
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