Jewel in PM crown: Pak trip
- Singh keen on ‘epochal’ visit to land of birth to cap term
SANKARSHAN THAKUR
New Delhi, April 5: With the Indo-US nuclear deal making no headway, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is now keen on making an “epochal” state visit to Pakistan, the land of his birth, to crown his term in office.
No dates have been worked out, but senior officials indicated the Prime Minister would prefer the trip before August, when the 60th year of Independence of the subcontinental twins expires.
“Substantive progress has been made on various outstanding bilateral issues and historic announcements could come during the visit,” well-placed sources said. “The India-Pakistan relationship is one area where the Prime Minister is eager to leave an imprint.”
Manmohan Singh is the second Indian Prime Minister after I.K. Gujral to have been born in what became Pakistan after Partition. Unlike Gujral, though, Singh has never been to his native village of Gah, which lies midway between Islamabad and Lahore. Should the visit come through, Gah is most likely to be on the Prime Minister’s itinerary.
Gah enjoyed a fleeting spell under the spotlight when Manmohan Singh’s Pakistan visit appeared imminent in 2006. Islamabad declared it a model village in anticipation, granting it, among other amenities, street lighting.
For a variety of reasons, the visit never came off. Pakistan was keen, sources in the ministry of external affairs said, it was India that cooled off. New Delhi had become too preoccupied then on pushing through the nuclear deal. Besides, the two nations hadn’t arrived at an understanding substantive enough to merit a summit-level visit.
Circumstances have now changed, the sources said, throwing hints that New Delhi was close to a path-breaking confidence-building deal — possibly an agreement on a mutual pullback from Siachen, the world’s highest and most desolate front — as centrepiece of the proposed visit.
The sources wouldn’t offer any details save to say that both countries are “on the brink” of a settlement on Siachen, viewed on both sides as a “hugely wasteful” standoff.
A ceasefire has held in Siachen since 2003, but both India and Pakistan still spend crores of rupees each day keeping vigil on the frozen heights. A key area yet to be bilaterally settled concerns the monitoring mechanism in case India and Pakistan agree to pull troops back.
Among the options discussed are satellite imagery of troop positions post agreement, or joint delineation of the actual ground position line (AGPL). There already exists a broad political consensus in India on down-scaling the exorbitant Siachen guard provided there is a clear demarcation of the AGPL in consonance with currently held positions. The Indian Army has for long held the advantage of heights along the Siachen glacier and the Saltoro range and sources suggested Pakistan does not contest the current position of forces on the glacier.
The Prime Minister has had a formal invitation from President Pervez Musharraf for several years now. But by the time the PMO renewed interest in taking up the offer sometime back, Pakistan had plunged deep into often troubled domestic affairs -- the violent election campaign that claimed the life of Benazir Bhutto, the triumphal return of democracy and the phase of political uncertainty that ensued.
But now that a new coalition has taken over under the premiership of Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, officials are hoping the visit can be fast-tracked.
“For the last several months, frankly, we haven’t known who to talk to,” the sources said. “Earlier there was just one man to negotiate things with in Pakistan, then, suddenly there were too many power centres, Musharraf, (Asif Ali) Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, we were a bit lost for a while on how to work things out.”
The upcoming Islamabad visit of foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon -- he is going for the next round of the composite dialogue process -- could be used to discuss possible dates for the prime ministerial visit.
External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee is also scheduled to visit Pakistan following the foreign secretary-level talks. “Both visits could prepare the essential ground for a state visit by the Prime Minister,” the sources said.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has also been so encouraged by feelers from the new democratically elected government in Pakistan that it was prepared to keep the prickly Kashmir issue aside and move ahead with more pressing issues of bilateral importance --- enhanced economic and cultural exchange, for instance.
“There is a distinctly new sense and understanding emanating from Pakistan, especially with regard to Kashmir, and we are keen to latch on to this opportunity and make the most of it,” the sources said.
For the native of Gah, peace with Pakistan will probably be the perfect tale to take to his grandchildren from his years in office.
oh our sikh friend come on most welcome mr PM
