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| Avoid choking channels of dialogue | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, June 24 : Though the Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan wasted no time in getting engaged in one on one meeting in Islamabad today,one need not expect miracles from the meeting.In fact the meeting between India's Foreign secretary,Nirupama Rao,and her counterpart in Pakistan, Salman Bashir,in Islamabad was the result of the decision of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh,and his counterpart in Islamabad, Yousuf Raza Gilani had taken earlier. The task for the two foreign secretaries was to set the stage for the upcoming dialogue between the two Foreign Ministers, S.M.Krishna,and Shah Mehmood Qureshi,to be held on July 15 in Islamabad.
As such the main importance in today's meeting was that Nirupama Rao is the first senior Indian officer who visited Islamabad since 2008 Mumbai attack which indicates that India has softened its stand vis-a-vis Pakistan. No doubt Delhi's anger against the role played by agencies in Pakistan in engineering terrorist strike in Mumbai in 2008,which left 166 people dead,has not died,it is no longer reluctant to resume discussion,if not the composite dialogue that remains stalled during the last two years,for the purpose of reducing the level of trust deficit.
Between February 25,when Nirpuma Rao and Salman Bashir met in Delhi, and June 24,when the two exchanged views in Islamabad, nothing substantial has materialised as far as the relations between India and Pakistan are concerned.Well during the Nirupama-Bashir talks, which was followed by a dicussion between the two teams, India raised the issue of Pakistan's go slow strategy while dealing with those suspected of their involvement in Mumbai attack.On the basis of the dosier submitted by Delhi to Islamabad the anti-terrorrist court in Pakistan had charged seven suspects with their involvement in Mumbai attacks but Pakistan deferred action on the plea that it needed more evidence against them.
The Indian side told the Pakistani team that Delhi had given ample proof the involvement of senior actvists of Lashkar-i-Toiba and other terrorist groups and as such there was no cause for further delay in dealing with them with a firm hand.It also wanted Islamabad to initiate adequate measures so that nobody was able to use the soil of Pakistan for exporting terror to the Indian states.
Reports said that in today's meeting stress was laid on a discussion on issues pertaining to peace security and confidence building.As such the two sides have not hesitated keeping the Kashmir issue on the back burner because this time dialogue on ensuring peace,security in the region was quite important.And possibilities of sustained and meaningful dialogue could be bright if the two sides first initiate measures that could promote confidence and reduce the level of trust deficit.The two sides have to build the atmosphere which was conducive for a discussion on a ticklish issue like Kashmir.It is wrong for the Chairman All Party Hurriyat Conference to blame India for being insincere in resolving the Kashmir issue.
According to reports from Islamabad the Indian side insisted that issues related to terrorism,peace and security need to be discussed during the foreign ministers meeting in Islamabad. It said that talks on Kashmir cannot make any headway if they are held under the thick shadow of terror.If the two sides have agreed to keep the channels of dialogue open it is a positive sign because during these dialogues Delhi can take up with the top authorities in Islamabad the issue of repeated border ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops and their assistance to the militants in infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir. If the channels of dialogue are choked it may heighten tension and conflict between the two sides.
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