Resume Talks with India

[StingRoy]

By I.A. Rehman
Thursday, 05 Nov, 2009
Dawn News

REGARDLESS of the views of the establishment’s hawks and howsoever strong they may be, Islamabad must give a positive response to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer of peace.

Normal relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two closest South Asian neighbours has always been desirable for many reasons but their urgency has been increased many times over by the extremists’ challenge to the Pakistan state.

No sane person on either side of the border can deny that the threat to the stability of Pakistan is also a threat to India’s vital interests, and their joint efforts are needed to ensure victory over the terrorists.

That Pakistan needs peace along its border with India in order to be free to deal with the conflict in its tribal areas is only part of the argument for establishing peace in the subcontinent. Much more urgent is the need for India-Pakistan cooperation for winning the battle for democracy, tolerance and social justice. Losses in this battle will plunge the people of both India and Pakistan into unimaginable ordeals.

Hitherto a common view in Pakistan has been that India is ignoring the threat to itself posed by the terrorists’ campaign against Pakistan. There was reason to believe that the pro-confrontation lobby in India saw in Pakistan’s predicament an opportunity to squeeze it for concessions it might not be willing to make in normal times. Such elements should not be expected to stop undermining the Indian prime minister’s initiative. It is in Pakistan’s interest to ensure that he is not forced by anyone to withdraw his offer.

The Pakistan government too will be under pressure from hardliners in its ranks and outside. Any compromise with such elements will cause Pakistan irreparable harm. Islamabad should therefore press for the earliest possible resumption of the composite dialogue with India.

Unfortunately, several new factors have fuelled tension between India and Pakistan. One of them is the way the Ajmal Kasab affair has been dealt with by both sides. The unnecessarily prolonged haggle over Kasab’s confessional statement merely exposed the size of the trust deficit. Was it impossible for India to supply Pakistan with an English translation of the court and police record in Marathi and was it impossible for Pakistan to get this work done?

Questions regarding the admissibility of a text not officially admitted by India could have been sorted out in due course. The two sides have to act in a spirit of cooperation to put the Mumbai outrage behind them. Pakistani authorities have been accusing India of interference in Balochistan and the tribal areas. One hopes they have much more credible evidence to support their charges than the use of Indian-made weapons by the Taliban in Waziristan or the receipt of some funds by the Baloch nationalists from Afghanistan.

The extremists’ access to arms manufactured in a particular country is no decisive proof of that country’s support for their cause and experts in money-laundering have considerable experience in using channels through any country. In any case, these complaints should be addressed on an urgent basis at India-Pakistan joint meetings.

This matter will assume greater seriousness as India’s relations with Afghanistan are likely to grow with faster speed than at present. If Pakistan succumbs to the temptation of opposing India’s overtures to Afghanistan it will only reduce the chances of normalisation of relations with both Afghanistan and India.

A better way of protecting Pakistan’s interests in a democratic Afghanistan would be to grant the latter its due place in South Asian councils and develop a regional response to the twin curse of foreign intervention and civil war that are perpetuating the Afghan people’s three decades-long tribulations. No single power can guarantee Afghanistan’s recovery and peaceful progress; the task can only be accomplished by countries in Afghanistan’s vicinity (all of them including Pakistan and India) acting in concert.

The significance of the fact that Mr Manmohan Singh chose to extend his hand of peace while on a visit to Srinagar is unlikely to be missed by Pakistani hawks. They will again advance settlement of the Kashmir issue as a precondition for normal relations with India.

Nobody can deny the importance of the Kashmir issue, especially to the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have been wronged by both India and Pakistan. But the disastrous consequences of sustaining a costly confrontation until the Kashmir issue is resolved are too apparent to permit persistence in this policy.

While talks to move towards a Kashmir settlement acceptable not only to India and Pakistan but also, and more essentially, to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, should continue, progress or setbacks in this area must not obstruct other initiatives for cementing India-Pakistan friendship and cooperation. More and more people are realising that a Kashmir settlement will follow India-Pakistan friendship and not precede it.

Above all, peace-loving people in both India and Pakistan are getting weary of meetings and talks that do not result in increasing India’s stakes in a stable and prosperous Pakistan and Pakistan’s stakes in a stable and prosperous India. Apart from giving a boost to India-Pakistan trade it is necessary to think of joint industrial ventures and meaningful cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education, health and culture.

It is possible that the current political crisis in Pakistan will be advanced by one side or another to put India-Pakistan bilateral talks on hold. The time for using such arguments has passed. In today’s situation the only sensible course is to press on with establishing peace in the subcontinent regardless of the political crises in either country or a change of regime here or there.

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I seriously hope that the talks happen soon and end the recent mud-slinging at both ends.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Yes, Talking to each other is important.
Thats the sole way to sort out out the issues.
GoI and GoP must shake hands and address the concerns of each other.

 

[PostColonial]

Talk about what? How India is behind "Every Terrorist attack in Pakistan"?

Rubbish.

Its no use talking to these bluffers.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Talk about what? How India is behind "Every Terrorist attack in Pakistan"?

Rubbish.

Its no use talking to these bluffers.

Well, if u study in detail abt Pakistan u'll understand the complexity.
Sometimes things hurt, statements hurt but You CANNOT ignore the neighbors.

Talking will at least Open a Channel.
Its Like better having something rather Nothing.

At the End of the Cold war, What did US and USSR achieve ? Both had a greater Distrust than what we have.
Sheer wastage of Money that could have fed Million hungry which exist here in India and Pakistan Both.
But as it happened in Cuba , then in 1984 , That a Nuclear War was just moments away.

Talk bcoz Talking is better than Not Talking and using Bullets.

My Signature ::

Is sarhad par pulkaarega kab tak nafrat ka ye ajgar,
[ How long will the Vengeance and Hatred Exist on the Borders ? ]

Hum apne apne kheton mein gehoon ki jagah chaawal ki jagah,
[ Why do we in our Farms instead of sowing Rice and Wheat..... ]

Ye bandokein kyon bote hai ; Jab dono hi ki galiyo me kuch bhooke bachche rote hai ??
[ Sow.. Guns in the Fields when in the Streets of Both Countries, Some Hungry Children Sleep ]

 

[Tomahawk]

Talk about what? How India is behind "Every Terrorist attack in Pakistan"?

Rubbish.

Its no use talking to these bluffers.

Same type of sentiments can also be given by Pakistani members for India. But there would be no result of this mud slinging; the point is that we have got to learn to co-exist.

 

[Tomahawk]

Well, if u study in detail abt Pakistan u'll understand the complexity.
Sometimes things hurt, statements hurt but You CANNOT ignore the neighbors.

Talking will at least Open a Channel.
Its Like better having something rather Nothing.

At the End of the Cold war, What did US and USSR achieve ? Both had a greater Distrust than what we have.
Sheer wastage of Money that could have fed Million hungry which exist here in India and Pakistan Both.
But as it happened in Cuba , then in 1984 , That a Nuclear War was just moments away.

Talk bcoz Talking is better than Not Talking and using Bullets.

My Signature ::

Is sarhad par pulkaarega kab tak nafrat ka ye ajgar,
[ How long will the Vengeance and Hatred Exist on the Borders ? ]

Hum apne apne kheton mein gehoon ki jagah chaawal ki jagah,
[ Why do we in our Farms instead of sowing Rice and Wheat..... ]

Ye bandokein kyon bote hai ; Jab dono hi ki galiyo me kuch bhooke bachche rote hai ??
[ Sow.. Guns in the Fields when in the Streets of Both Countries, Some Hungry Children Sleep ]

Thanks for sharing nice thoughts mate.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Thanks for sharing nice thoughts mate.

u r welcome.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Same type of sentiments can also be given by Pakistani members for India. But there would be no result of this mud slinging; the point is that we have got to learn to co-exist.

Well Said.
Both Countries .. wait all the The Four. .. [ Alphabetically ]

Bangladesh
China
India
Pakistan

Should Sit and Talk and Solve what remains Unsolved between them till now.

 

[Spring Onion]

When was the last time Pakistan refused to talk to India?

 

[PostColonial]

Oh enough with the soppy poetry.

Let these Pakistanis wallow in their own creation. Nobody cares. Its their war, let them do whatever. Once they've sorted out their feelings about the Taliban and other extremists, maybe we'll consider talking. I fully support the Indian government's stand on this issue. Let them demonstrate that they are willing to even contemplate going after terrorist groups like the LeT/HuM. Let them arrest and convict their leaders as an act of good faith. Then perhaps talks can be considered.

Until then, they can keep sending their Jehadis across LoC, and we can keep killing them.

 

[Spring Onion]

Oh enough with the soppy poetry.Nobody cares

Then perhaps talks can be considered.

agree who cares if you agree for talks or not but Pakistan like a civilized country would continue to press for civilized way of sorting out the issues through talks

 

[absarahmedkhan]

Pakistan is always looking forward to restart the peace talks despite the fact that India has been playing on so many issues concerning Kashmir, terrorist activities in Pakistan, the breaching of Indus-basin treaty and so on. India needs to change its attitude. Need not to act like a world-beater.

 

[Goodperson]

agree who cares if you agree for talks or not but Pakistan like a civilized country would continue to press for civilized way of sorting out the issues through talks

Whats the use everytime India gets back stabbed, Even NS apologized for Kargil.
Pakistan's so called non statectors sabotaged further talks (Mumbai).
Pakistani government even refuses to bring charges against Saeed it has charged him in smaller crime and helped him lead free life.

 

[New Shivaji]

When was the last time Pakistan refused to talk to India?

What's the point in talking to pakistan with its attitude of seeing terrorists ( LET , JUD , JM) as stratergic assets and pushing them into India.

Our only condition is that GOP should eliminate all terrorism eminating from pakistan towards India then we can talk.

 

[StingRoy]

Oh enough with the soppy poetry.

Let these Pakistanis wallow in their own creation. Nobody cares. Its their war, let them do whatever. Once they've sorted out their feelings about the Taliban and other extremists, maybe we'll consider talking. I fully support the Indian government's stand on this issue. Let them demonstrate that they are willing to even contemplate going after terrorist groups like the LeT/HuM. Let them arrest and convict their leaders as an act of good faith. Then perhaps talks can be considered.

Until then, they can keep sending their Jehadis across LoC, and we can keep killing them.

Buddy, I agree that they are dealing with their own creation and ignorance for all these years in failed policy, governance and self-denial. But any civil unrest and extremism in the neighborhood is bound to affect us. US went after these groups in Afghanistan, and they all ran into the northern areas, now that Pakistan is after them, there is a high chance of infiltration into India. We can also see the increase in such cases from Kashmir. I hope Indian army is standing guard to prevent this from happening.
Talks will always help in the long run. With the recent mud-slinging and rising tensions these talks will atleast bring back some status quo. Else, Pakistan will be blaming India and India will keep retorting back... and the game continues