India-Pakistan talks back on track?

[Srinivas]

India-Pakistan talks back on track?​

NEW DELHI: The violence on the line of control (LoC) has perceptibly come down. And almost unnoticed, the conversations between India and Pakistan have increased.

Despite elections being round the corner, the buzz has returned to the government that the prime minister might take a final stab at visiting the only neighbouring country he has ever wanted to go to. What would it take for Manmohan Singh to be able to go to Pakistan?
High-level sources said the laundry list of actions included significant reduction of violence on the LoC, determined forward movement on the 26/11 case and a decision on most favoured nation (MFN) status by Pakistan.

Although DGMOs have not met, as the two prime ministers intended, since the decision in late September, the violence on the LoC has reduced somewhat. Some of it is explained by the coming of winter, which makes the passes difficult to negotiate. But sources said the violence was deliberate, and its absence is equally deliberate.

In the past, India has flirted with the talks-inspite-of-terrorism option. But this year, India linked normalization of ties with Pakistan to peace and tranquility on the LoC. Its too soon to ascribe the reduction to diplomatic pressure, but something is clearly working. An official said, "We don't want to jump the gun, because there could be violence tomorrow."

Foreign minister Salman Khurshid, who has evolved into becoming a proactive diplomat, has quietly pushed the envelope with Pakistan. In Colombo, Khurshid apparently met Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of CHOGM, a meeting that was not flagged by the Indian government.

The Pakistani media, which was briefed, described it as "positive". On November 12, Khurshid held a meeting with Sartaj Aziz on the sidelines of ASEM, where he emphasized the importance of respecting Indian sensitivities and keeping the border quiet. Khurshid also said India has done everything possible to move the 26/11 case forward. Pakistan would now have to prosecute top LeT leaders like Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and bring closure.

On Saturday, the PM met Salman Bashir, the departing Pakistani envoy, in a farewell meeting. "It is unusual for the PM to meet departing envoys," said G Parthasarathy, former high commissioner to Pakistan.

For a struggling Sharif government in Islamabad, a visit by the Indian PM would be an unexpected bonus in an otherwise disastrous year. But it's not yet clear whether he can either push the terror prosecution or keep Pakistan's notorious jihadi factory in check. On the other hand, Pakistani leaders have been quoted as saying they would rather decide on things like MFN when the next government in India takes office.

In India, the Congress party, heading into elections, has dished out tougher rhetoric on Pakistan than ever before. Its unclear it would be comfortable with a PM visit to Pakistan, particularly if there is a risk of a terror attack.

On Friday, the PM told the nation's DGPs, "Resurgence of terrorist groups, particularlyLashkar-e-Taiba and increased infiltration attempts call for heightened vigil and coordination by our security forces. There is also a likelihood of attempts to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections."

The risks are offset by the PM's own interest in normalizing relations with Pakistan, quite apart from a personal interest in seeing the village where he was born.
The government has dangled a further carrot on trade to Pakistan. Last week, Arvind Mehta, senior official in the commerce ministry, said, "If Pakistan grants non-discriminatory access to India, we will provide a reciprocal market access to Pakistan at a 0-5% duty rate, similar to what is being given to Bangladesh."

India-Pakistan talks back on track? - Times Of India

 

[rockstarIN]

First hang the 26.11 terrorists.

 

[naveen mishra]

although i am not against of indo- pka relation ..............

but it is funny,useless effort ,nothing is gonna to come out,will turn to big embarrassment for sure

 

[OrionHunter]

Back on track? There was never any track so how can it be back??

Here are the reasons which I posted on another thread, why peace can never be achieved until there's a paradigm shift in the psyche of the powers that be.

The problem lies in the fact that the Zia doctrine is live and kicking in the PA. 'Bleeding India with a thousand cuts' is their signature tune especially after the 1971 war. Retribution for the loss is foremost in the psyche of the PA. They need to hurt India to get even. So any attempt at a detente is going to be a non-starter - unless of course there is a shift in this stereotypical thinking.

The second side of the triangle is the insecurity of the PA. They seem to be paranoid about being enveloped by India in the East, and Afghanistan supported by India in the West and therefore are propping up the Taliban (Haqqani) to take over the helm after American troops withdraw. For this they have been supping with the devil for the past 10 years, playing a game of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. The Americans know this but are caught in a cleft stick as without Pakistan the cost of the WOT in Afghanistan would become prohibitive. If the Pakistan Establishment hadn't helped and supported the Taliban all these years, the game would have been over in Afghanistan long ago.

This has resulted in drone attacks that have killed hundreds of terrorists but resulted in collateral damage too which in turn has given birth to the TTP which has been responsible for the massive casualties of Pakistanis - more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians killed and many more wounded. This has also given birth to a number of militant groups, all jostling for space. The Establishment's support to terrorist groups to fight their wars against India by proxy has started getting out of control with splinter groups charting their own course by getting help of groups inimical to Pakistan's interests. This melds into the third side of the triangle which is:

The need of the PA to keep the Indian 'threat' alive, without which the very raison d'etre of the PA would be at stake. Otherwise they would be sidelined and lose their credibility and importance in Pakistan. So they need an enemy to keep up the charade, which needless to say is India.

At the center of this triangle are the vested interests that need to keep Indo-Pak hostilities going and the pot boiling. An example is the JuD that collects millions of rupees from the sheeple by its anti-India tirades, without which contributions would dry up. They need a reason which is the 'liberation of Kashmir'. A very convenient motive as this could last for decades resulting in a steady flow of funds.

So, it's not just the conversion of the LoC or other such simplistic proposals that would sort out the Indo-Pak problem as many are led to believe. There are wheels within wheels - almost impossible to extricate from.

But the million dollar question is: Considering the above, does the Pakistan Establishment really want a solution to the Kashmir dispute? I doubt it! Because it's in their interest to keep the pot boiling.


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