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| Normalising Indo-Pakistan relations: The challenges and pitfalls | | | Jasbir Sarai | 12/13/2011 12:37:59 AM |
| Prime Minister Man mohan Singh, it seems, has a deeply embedded nostalgia for his birthplace, now an independent nation called Pakistan. He loses no opportunity to walk the extra mile towards reconciling issues that have kept India and Pakistan apart and acrimonious for six decades. It is a noble thought process which bodes well for both countries, especially so for Pakistan which afflicted by intrinsic instability. True to form the Indian Prime Minister once again took the initiative to build fences with Pakistan during the recently held SAARC Summit. For a change even the Pakistani Prime Minister was responsive and during the meeting held on November, 1, both leaders vowed to open 'a new chapter' in bilateral ties by putting accusations and counter-accusations to an end. In order to meet India's long standing demand to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 attacks to justice, Pakistan agreed to send a judicial commission to India to quicken the trial. Also, after a long haul, Pakistan granted to India a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to boost trade ties thus opening the way for a Preferential Trade Agreement. A proposal to fast-track implementation of cross-Kashmir trade and travel also received a positive response.
Pakistan's warm up with India is happening at a time when its relationship with its abiding ally, the United States, is at an all time low, actually, on the brink of a breakdown. While the two countries are trying to maintain a semblance of civility, it is not difficult to feel the undercurrents which imply a high degree of impatience in the case of the US and petulant obstinacy in the case of Pakistan. Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik's thanking Taliban for having maintained peace during Muharram has added fuel to the fire. Not only the US, the entire world is aghast by this statement which came in the wake of the Bonn Conference convened by the United Nations to discuss the future of Afghanistan post the withdrawal of NATO forces in 2014. Even as the world leaders were accepting Pakistan as an important player in the peace and stability of Afghanistan, this attitude by its leadership has sent wrong signals to the international community. It is not a wonder that Afghanistan President, Hamid Karzai, has openly insinuated that Pakistan has undermined negotiations with the Taliban by boycotting the international conference. He has gone a step further and blamed Pakistan based terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Janghvi, for the series of bomb blasts that have hit five cities of Afghanistan and left scores dead, maimed and injured.
The US has, for quite some time now, been quite open about its inhibitions regarding Pakistan's role as an ally of NATO forces in Afghanistan. It is particularly concerned about the support being extended to the Haqqani segment of the Taliban. Just three months back, on October, 21, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, while commenting on Pakistan's continued support to the Haqqani network made her famous comment, "You can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect it to only bite neighbours," while the Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar looked on incredulously. Despite intense pressure Pakistan has not relented from providing support to the Haqqani network, which is enemy number one for the US. The US in turn, did not cease its attacks on the Taliban deep into Pakistan territory despite many terse and not so diplomatic threats from the Pakistan Army Chief, Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani. The high point of this détente was the November, 26, NATO airstrike on two check posts along the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan which left 24 Pakistan soldiers dead and many wounded. The enraged Pakistani Army immediately put a halt to US supplies through Pakistan to Afghanistan and asked for vacation of the Shamsi air base in Balochistan.
Indian needs to develop its relationship with Pakistan in the light of the events that are unfolding in the international arena. It should never be forgotten that the Indo-Pakistan relationship is guided predominantly by Pakistan's proclivity to export terror across India, and of course, the Kashmir imbroglio. Now a time has come when India also has to keep global sensitivity in mind while dealing with Pakistan. It would not be appropriate to be friends with a country which is being increasingly viewed as a threat to global security. India definitely needs to appreciate the ramification of Pakistan's continued support to the Taliban, its intransigence in helping Afghanistan and its acrimony with the US. She also has to remain aware that the resultant instability will directly impact her security concerns.
This apart, the stark reality is that only a few days back, on November, 06, Pakistan Army resorted to yet another ceasefire violation along the line of control in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). This was the second violation in as many days and the 45th in this year. It is well known that most violations are engineered with the objective of facilitating infiltration of terrorists across the border. Further, intelligence agencies have cautioned the Army about possible infiltration attempts along the Jammu-Samba borders in J&K. Such circumstances do not speak of a change of heart or a desire to mend fences. It seems that the extended hand of friendship has more to do with Pakistan's preoccupation with its western border and issues with its allies. While empathizing with Pakistan and coming forward to its assistance India needs to remain firm on its demand that Pakistan dismantles terror infrastructure from its soil before incremental steps in bilateral relations can be considered. India can express a desire to normalise relations but only when an acceptable environment has been created by Pakistan.
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