The New York meet
October 2, 2013
Prime
Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan drove to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s
hotel, New York Palace in midtown Manhattan, for a meeting that had previously
run the whole gamut of suspense and uncertainty. Not deterred by Pakistan’s
belligerence at LoC and IB, and also resisting the pressures from BJP-led
opposition to call off the talks, the Prime Minister demonstrated his mature
statesmanship, and keeping a steady course, met with his Pakistani counterpart
for about an hour. Evidently, he had weighed the pros and cons in the
background of the statements of Mian Nawaz Sharif before and after the National
Assembly elections in Pakistan. Prime Minister Singh must have meditated over
Mian Nawaz Sharif’s earlier trysts with Pakistan’s military-dominated domestic
politics. In the text book of international diplomacy, the pulse is to be felt,
vibration recorded.
Indian
Prime Minister had already hinted that expectations from the meeting should be
toned down. The two leaders met in rather surcharged background. The process of
bilateral talks had been suspended owing to Pakistan’s recurrent violation of
LoC cease fire agreement of 2003 leading to a wave of anger sweeping the length
and breadth of the country. Obviously, the Indian side had to prioritize the meeting
to restoration of peace and normalcy along the LoC, which depended on how the
other side responded. And the response has come in the shape of two sides
tasking respective DGMOs to examine and report how at present and in future,
the ceasefire agreement of 2003 will be enforced and stabilized. This meets the
pre-condition of the Indian Prime Minister for sustained and uninterrupted
dialogue. India trusts Nawaz Sharif will provide wherewithal to its DGMO to
conduct positive and result-oriented exchanges with the Indian counterpart.
That no time-frame has been stipulated is an indication of seriousness both
sides attach to this remedial or reconstructive measure.
Remember
this was a meeting held on the sidelines of the UNGA session. As such, it is
not to be taken as Indo-Pak Summit. Naturally, neither any joint communiqué nor
a press statement needed to be issued about the event. However on the Indian
side, PM’s Security Adviser, Shiv Shankar Menon, and the Foreign Minister
Salman Khurshid did reflect succinctly and evasively on the precise content of
the talks. Bureaucrats usually reveal nothing particularly when the entire
matter is highly sensitive. That Shiv Shankar made evasive and strictly
non-committal observations is what every political observer expected. However,
our External Affairs Minister was more obsessed with his party’s political
struggle at home than with Indo-Pak prime ministerial meet. Therefore his
supercilious comments on the BJP prime ministerial candidate and related
cacophony pass for a classical example of sycophancy and claptrap. But it was
the Pakistan foreign secretary who struck the right cord. Succinctly, he told
the media that this meet was to create climate conducive for resuming
sustained, uninterrupted and meaningful dialogue. We think Nawaz Sharif gave
sufficient assurance to his counterpart that he was serious in pursuing peace
process in the region. Apart from agreeing to entrust the ceasefire violation
issue to DGMOs, he firmly said that action against the perpetrators of 26/11
would be taken once the report of Pakistan Judicial Commission was received and
examined. The Commission has already completed its task in Mumbai.
The fact is
that the basis of carrying forward the peace dialogue has been defined and
agreed upon. Terrorism was discussed and the two sides agreed that this menace
had to be eradicated. They also agreed that outstanding issues had to be
resolved through dialogue only and that the LoC agreement of 2003 had to be
respected and normalcy had to be restored on the border.
Discounting
media gaffe—- usually serving as appetizer to meetings between sensitive
parties—, the two sides have shown seriousness about the business they are in.
While on the part of Nawaz Sharif, it is resumption of the talks where these were
left in 1999, on the part of Manmohan Singh it is a courageous step of giving
Nawaz Sharif a chance of turning a new page in the history of the relations
between the two countries and a transformation of sorts in the political
scenario in the sub-continent. India does clearly and unmistakably understand
the position of Mian Nawaz Sharif vis-à-vis traditional political landscape of
Pakistan. She has taken a step in the direction desired by Mian Sahib and will
watch and assess the course of history shaping in Pakistan after this meet.
Understandably there couldn’t be any commitment for the next round of talks at
one or the other level. If within a reasonable time India is satisfied that LoC
peace is stabilized, it would encourage the two sides to take the second step
for improving bilateral relations. Let us not make unnecessary hurry and rush
to conclusions. With green signal from India that she is deeply interested in
restoration of peace and normalcy in bilateral relations, Nawaz Sharif will
find himself equipped with better tools to move forward with his agenda. In all
probability, Nawaz Sharif wanted that a bigger step was taken as a sign of
initiation of meaningful dialogue but the Indian Prime Minister seems to have
cautioned and convinced him that a patient, modest and non-volatile beginning
had to be made in the interests of both sides. Perhaps the Prime Minister had
the impending parliamentary elections in mind and as such he would not make
hasty and nervous movement. Even for Pakistan also, low key negotiations are
advisable so that hawks are not provoked.
In final
analysis, the success of this maiden meet will be gauged from what is seen on
the ground. If the DGMOs produce a peace formula for LoC that works and if on
the report of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan a move is made towards
bringing the perpetrators of the crime to book, it will boost the sides to open
up and focus on major issues awaiting resolution.
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