B L Saraf
The breakdown of planned meeting between the NSAs of India and Pakistan, as was agreed by PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart , Nawaz Sharief in Ufa six weeks ago, can be explained by the interested parties and the commentators in their own ways . But, certainly, it is a repeat story of ‘relief and the relapse’. Relief that talks were underway; relapse that they have floundered. To a common man the relations between India and Pakistan resemble a patient afflicted with a typhoid ailment, whose body temperature soars high at a time and then, with medication, comes down to the normal levels. The period of relief is then cut short with the sudden relapse of the high temperature and the patient remains bedridden . Some believe – not without a reason – that path of Indo- Pak relations is strewn with pot holes. When a bus of good relations moves on the path the big potholes thwart its onward journey. The vehicle comes stuck.
The NSA Level talks , we are told , were slated to discuss terrorism and the matters related thereto . Everything went normal for some time but then suddenly the ” interested actors ” in Pakistan started to grieve on not finding word’ Kashmir’ in the Ufa statement. Then we had the Gurdasspur and Udhampur terror attacks emanating from across the border. Confronted with the emerging situation, the Pakistan establishment blinkered and saw a proverbial straw in the joint statement issued in Ufa and doled out the explanation that the words “matters related to the terrorism” have an inbuilt reference to the K issue so Kashmir will be automatically discussed in the talks; and, per ritual, brought in the Hurriyat factor, summoned them to Delhi to meet Pak NSA for his pre- talk briefing – knowing well that this will not be acceptable to the Indians. New Delhi seems to have formulated a policy in this regard that Hurrriyat has no role in bilateral talks between the two countries and a red line has been drawn on the separatist conglomerate . It is a different matter whether the planners of this new policy in New Delhi have assumed too much to believe that Pakistan-especially its Army establishment would respect this red line on Hurriyat. But surely some spine has been added to the conventional policy, followed hitherto in this regard .
Pakistan should have found other reason to renege on the understanding reached in Russia. NSA talks generally don’t resolve serious political issues and the time allotted for the talks could hardly do justice to the cause, if referred to. Cross- border terrorism is a one way affair. NSA talks were, thus, restricted to it alone. Pakistan, therefore, couldn’t be fair to expand the scope of talks by insisting on inclusion of discussion on Kashmir. Kashmir by all means needs to be discussed between the two countries. And when we talk of Kashmir it includes POK also. That has to be done on a mutual consent , bilaterally with no room for the third party, and on a rather higher political level. After all it is the issue which has bedeviled the bilateral relations and threatened peace in the sub – continent. Recently, the problem has made life miserable for the residents on both sides of the LOC.
Talks must go on. It is , indeed, encouraging when FM Sushma Swaraj says ” in relation to Indo-Pak there are no full stops and it would be definitely wrong to surmise that there won’t be any engagement between the two countries in the near future.”
India will have to learn something from U.S policy on Pakistan when it comes to the terrorism. We must listen to Stephen Tankel, assistant professor of the American University’s School of International Service Washington, when he says ” US has a definite foreign policy towards Pakistan . Washington knows who controls policy – making in Pakistan and deals with the concerned directly .” Though India – a democratic country will feel loath to bye -pass an elected Pak Government to deal with other actors but hard facts cannot be ignored . We will have to come to grips with the reality prevailing in that country that civilian Government will always find its hands tied down and can move only up to a point with respect to terrorism on our side of LOC and other related issues . Actual player is someone else .
India has to find means and devise tools to get Pak Army – ISI axis broken in order to stop their nefarious activities in J&K. Alongside, Central government will have to address the local issues . Hurriyat may be third party vis -a vis Indo – Pak relations. Particularly so, when Pakistan tries to lean on it to pull its chest nuts out of fire in Kashmir . For India , nonetheless , it is a local factor with some influence in the state . Therefore , its stake in ushering in total peace in the state is to be recognized . Serious engagement with them , preferably, first at the State Government level , is need of the hour. With separatists in loop, India will be better served at the conference table as and when it meets with Pakistan to discuss terrorism and other bilateral issues . It is elementary !
(The author is Former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel