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| India, Pakistan resume peace talks | | Delhi makes terrorism dominant theme | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, NOV. 14
India has pressed Pakistan to rein in militants. As the peace talks resumed on Tuesday in New Delhi between India and Pakistan, terrorism became the dominant theme of discussions. The two-day meeting between Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan commenced after Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Riaz Mohamed Khan, reiterated that he was looking forward to "very constructive discussions" with his Indian counterpart.
The peace process between the South Asian rivals has been on hold since train bombings in Mumbai in July, which India blamed on Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied. New Delhi suspended the talks scheduled for July, blaming the Mumbai attacks on Pakistan's military spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), but Islamabad rejected the claim.
The two sides agreed to set up an anti-terror mechanism when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf met in September in Cuba. The resumed composite dialogue on a range of bilateral isues, particularly terrorism, is expected to give shape to the joint anti-teror mechanism and discuss confidence building measures (CBMs) in military and civilian fields.
Indian and Pakistani delegations will also review progress on other outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek. Indian Foreign Secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon, will give evidence of Pakistani linkages to terrorist activities in India, including the Mumbai blasts, and make it clear that Islamabad's commitment to fight the scourge will be tested on the ground.
Significantly, by the time the Foreign Secretary-level talks began, the government of India appeared unwilling to share Pakistan's view that a resolution to Siachen issue was a "matter of days" as it said the talks on the subject are going on. Pranab Mukherjee, Minister for External Affairs, said: "Our position has been stated earlier". Mukherjee's significant observation came when he was asked by media persons to coment on Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's claim about posibility of settlement on Siachen in the near future.
Pranab Mukherjee made it clear that India and Pakistan are having several rounds of talks on Siachen. "It is not necesary for me on every occasion to respond to observations made by some foreign dignitary", Mukherjee said. New Delhi has made it clear that the vexed issue can be settled promptly if Islamabad agrees to its terms, particularly proper authentication of present troop positions of the two countries at the world's highest battlefield.
While there are no indications yet regarding Pakistan's acceptance of the terms, India wants "iron-clad" authentication of the troop positions as it is wary of a repeat of Kargil when Pakistani forces occupied mountain heights in 1999. By the time the Foreign Secretary-level talks commenced on Tuesday morning, Pranab Mukherjee had let it be known that that India would ask Pakistan to honour its previous commitments to halt militant attacks on Indian soil.
As the talks on the first day progressed, peaceniks began to make two points. One, that the Foreign Secretary-level talks resumed on Tuesday, a mere four months after the Mumbai blasts that completely derailed the peace process even if it resolved little in the aftermath of a landmark ceasefire. Second, big-ticket breakthroughs only happen when countries' leaders meet.
The long-awaited Manmohan Singh-Pervez Musharraf summit in Islamabad is probably scheduled for December 2006. The back-room channels that Pakistan Foreign Minister Kasuri hinted at is working towards finding common ground on Kashmir and terror before that visit. But for Foreign Secretaries, Shiv Shankar Menon and Riaz Mohammad Khan, it is the small differences which they bridge during the two-days discussions that will help rebuild trust and mutual confidence. |
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