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| State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Advisory Council). | | | Sunita Vakil | 4/6/2011 11:43:11 PM |
| Will the adventurist diplomacy indulged in by India pave the way for improving bilateral ties between the two countries or prove to be a wild goose chase?
Given the roller coaster trajectory of Indo-Pakistan relations, it would be pertinent to quote Goethe;” in all things it is better to hope than to despair”. At a time when the relations between the two neighbours have got into a rut, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s cricket diplomacy coinciding with the resumption of full spectrum dialogue after a hiatus of 27 months, has once again led to soaring of expectations on both sides of the border. As of now, the dialogue process is caught in the cusp between hope and despair. Indeed, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s yet another olive branch to Pakistan is laudable seeking to create an atmosphere of goodwill. However, whether the occasion achieves any tangible results or ends with a whimper remains to be seen.
Certainly, the Indian PM deserves appreciation for initiating a bold step and extending a good gesture. By cashing in on the opportunity to give peace yet another chance he has made a positive move in the interest of improving relations between the two neighbours. It is a big step forward especially when the relationship between the two countries has hit a new low post the Indian Embassy bombing in Kabul and the Mumbai attack in 2008.
Indeed, Dr.Singh’s overtures signal that he has not given up on Pakistan and wants to give dialogue with Islamabad one more chance. His statement “cricket has been a unifying factor” demonstrated his commitment to making inroads in this vexed relationship. While many believe that such bouts of cricket diplomacy have had a limited impact in dispelling the clouds of mutual distrust, no one can seriously argue that the resumption of dialogue between the two countries could hardly have waited indefinitely. True, the recent history of talks between the two neighbours is not very encouraging. True the regime in Islamabad has not been responsive, particularly when it comes to terrorism emanating from its soil. But for all that, there is no recourse except for India to engage with Pakistan to sort out contentious issues between the two countries. Past events have shown that New Delhi’s blanket rejection of talks as long as Islamabad didn’t roll back cross border terrorism has produced a stalemate. So, there is no realistic alternative to dialogue. One hopes the move will remove the knots in bilateral relations. But in our efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan, it would be a folly to get swayed away too much. We have to accept the reality that despite repeated reminders from India, Pakistan has not brought the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. Islamabad has also consistently ignored India’s request to dismantle terror camps in POK.
Of course, we have been here several times before. Right from Tashkent (1966) Shimla (1972) to Lahore (1999) to Agra (2001), we have been swamped by high hopes of a breakthrough followed by deep disappointments. This is also not the first time that cricket is being used to boost the ties between the two countries. General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf too indulged in cricket diplomacy. We heard the same rhetoric that time also but soon after Pakistan abetted armed insurgency surfaced in Kashmir that has by now taken a heavy toll on human life. While Dr. Singh went overboard when he said “Gilani Sahab and I have had extensive discussions on all outstanding issues and we have reaffirmed our resolve that there are difficulties on the way but we will make every honest effort to overcome those difficulties,” it is difficult to digest such hyperbole. It is anybody’s guess as to how far the voices of sanity will travel and whether they will be heard in Islamabad. Noises coming from across the border suggest that Pakistan can in no way guarantee a cessation of terror activity that flows from its soil. Pak militant Abdullah Inqualabi’s arrest has provided yet another evidence that ISI backed outfits are pooling in their resources and still going strong in PoK. While the congress kept on gushing about the goodwill gesture, there was no comment on the discussions the two leaders had one may well ask; are we destined to witness a repeat of this dismal history once again?
Mr. Singh may be right in talking the first step but he should be reminded that despite India’s attempts to foster peace through dialogue, Islamabad has not ceased its hostilities, towards New Delhi. So far all bilateral talks have been marked by rigidity and non compliance. The PM may have his reasons to resort to cricket diplomacy but he should keep in mind the fact that Pakistan still has not done much to reduce or stop cross border terrorism Camps to provide training to Jihadis still operate. Nurseries of terror in POK and elsewhere aimed at destabilizing India still operate. Moreover, cricket diplomacy is no magic wand that can suddenly transform the long strained India-Paksitan relations into one of warmth and under standing. The need of the hour is to sort out long standing issues in a spirit of give and take one can have a sensible dialogue with Pakistan only when it gives up its support for terrorism.
Quoting an Italian proverb “the man who lives only by hope will die with despair”, now there must be efforts to exploit the goodwill and seize upon initiatives already taken. The next few months will show whether the new beginning at Mohali is a new dawn of hope or a winter of despair.
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