Modi And Indo - Pak Engagement
By Abdul Majid Zargar
26 May, 2014
Countercurrents.org
I hope I am not exuding excessive optimism, when I say that Modi’s gesture of inviting Nawaz Sharief to his swearing ceremony on 26th May is his first right step to put the Indo-Pak relations back on track . The intention to tag this invitation with other SARRC leaders, seems to deny the event an undue hype & cause to raise expectations.
There is no denying the fact that the dustbin of Indo-Pak historical relations is littered with battered pieces of unimplemented joint statements, joint commissions, working groups, no-war pacts & Miscellaneous agreements but sixty seven years of hostility have taught both Countries some important lessons.
The first lesson and an important one has been learnt by India. It has learnt that Pakistan is a reality & no more a break-away part or estranged son of mother India which can be forced or coerced to comeback. In other words, India now realizes that the dream of Akhand Bharat is no more achievable. The Indian establishment is also reconciled to the fact that existence of Pakistan is going to stay and so it is useless and unnecessary to wait or attempt its annihilation. This realization has been particularly reinforced after Pakistan became a nuclear power.
Lesson No. 2 learnt by India is that it cannot become an economic power-house of Asia unless it is at peace with its neighbors, especially Pakistan & China. Even a permanent seat at UN is a distant dream unless regional issues are sorted out. The issues with Pakistan are many but the chief & foremost among these is Kashmir. All other issues like Siachen, Sir-creek or water dispute are secondary & subservient to the Kashmir dispute. In fact Kashmir dispute is like a volcano which one may ignore at his own peril. It is something which is not local or of ordinary nature. It has an international character & history behind it.
Lesson learnt by Pakistan is that War cannot be a solution to any problem. It has also learnt that peace with India will release it of many pressures & help it to deal with its myriad internal problems, the chief among these being rising intolerance, sectarian clashes and economic sluggishness. Probably that explains the haste with which it is seeking a dialogue & engagement with India.
Having leant the lessons, the million dollar question is, how should the two countries lay a roadmap to translate these lessons into a concrete action plan for achieving durable peace in the region. Past history has shown that there are more red-lights than green ones on road to Indo-Pak peace. On many occasions in the past, the goddess of relations between two countries did smile but did not deliver a permanent last laugh.
The first & foremost thing for Modi is to take the proverbial bull by horn. He is now powered by a massive mandate to tackle the issues plaguing India. The back-channel & track-2 talks need to be stopped forthwith as these are mere wastage of time & energy and create more confusion than clarity. An instance is provided by recent visit of Mr. S.K.Lambha, Outgoing PM’s pointsman to Kashmir. In his key-note address before a selected audience, he said that “Kashmir is legally, historically & Geographically part of India”. It is not my purpose here to enter into a debate with him on this point but suffice it to say that if Indian thinking revolves around position then what is the dispute all about & what for the talks between India & Pakistan on Kashmir are going on? Secondly it is highly unethical for track-2 actors to disclose the contours of a possible solution before general public & if at all a disclosure was required, a press statement from New-Delhi or a selective media leak would have served the purpose. If at all back channel talks are deemed necessary, these could be entrusted to seasoned politicians & not myopic bureaucrats , retired diplomats & past-by- expiry-date Generals. In fact, they should be strictly instructed to stop exhaling garlic breath from their mouths. This applies to Pakistan also.
Second & most important thing for India is to stop looking at the problem from security prism & reduce the role of army & intelligence agencies while attempting a solution. In a democracy, which India professes to be, the role of army is to defend borders & not to define these, which is the legitimate constitutional duty of elected representatives. A classic example is provided here by Sanjay Baru in his book “Accidental Prime Minster”-page 188 ,in which author speaks of devious role played by then Army Chief JJ Singh in arriving at the solution of Siachen issue.
Thirdly it is very important to put an end to the grave human rights violations being committed in Kashmir almost on 24X7 basis. As a first goodwill gesture, all political prisoners need to be released without any prior condition . Repeal of draconian laws like AFSPA & PSA could be next. The situation on human rights front, unless taken care of, has reached a point where a lava may burst at any point of time leaving every stake-holder sub-merged in the debris. It is also creating hatred among common Kashmiris against India and making it liable to action at international level.
For Pakistan it is essential to increase vigil on its borders to stop infiltration of non-State actors. To start with it may make a public announcement advising such actors to give peace a chance at-least for one year. It also needs to expedite trial of those involved in Mumbai attack in a transparent manner to satisfy the oft-repeated condition by India & world at large.
The author is a practicing chartered Accountant. E mail: [email protected]
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