‘Minus The Talks, We Will Be Back To Zero’: Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine
Former Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman tells SHANTANU GUHA RAY that only the terrorists will be happy if there is no dialogue
India is not allowing itself to be derailed from the first peace talks since dialogues snapped after the 26/11 attacks. How significant are the talks for Pakistan?
The right thing is to talk; you lose nothing by talking. I am aware that the Pune blast and the possible Pakistan link is clouding the atmosphere but if India has evidence to that effect, that should be the first thing on the table and Pakistan has to deal with it. I honestly do not believe talking to Pakistan eases up the pressure. Not talking is a diminishing asset. I doubt if there will be any breakthrough on core disputes in the short-term but the talks are indeed a good step. I doubt whether any side will have an exclusive control over the agenda.
But that’s a climbdown, since Pakistan insisted that it would accept nothing short of a composite dialogue?
The Pakistan government has already said there are no preconditions on either side for the talks. Let’s not get into specifics. Minus the talks, we’ll be back to zero and… it’s certainly not in Pakistan’s interest.
26/11 still clouds the talks. After all, public opinion influences policymaking. And now, an unknown group, Laskhar-e-Taiba Al Alami, has claimed it was behind the Pune blasts.
Let us not talk of 26/11 and Pune every now and then. You had one Mumbai, we have many mini-Mumbais happening all over Pakistan. We have lost over 5,000 people and spent $36 billion fighting terrorism. India and Pakistan don’t need to reinvent what they have accomplished before — a composite dialogue between them where they can talk everything, including Kashmir and other issues.
But hardliners have their own agenda. The BJP and the Shiv Sena don’t want the talks and Syed Salahuddin, commander of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, wants Kashmir to be a part of the agenda.
So what do we do? Get into a Cold War kind of situation and seek military intervention between two nuke nations? By drawing away from talks, we exclude the possibility of any kind of step forward by bilateral means. With the two nations not talking to each other, the only happy side will be that of the terrorists. We have militants routinely telling us to avoid India, its people, its cinema, its sports, IPL, almost anything and everything. But bilateral trade — despite all these hostilities — has increased over the last two years and that is a very positive sign. Let me tell you that I see the Pune blast as part of a continuing pattern to thwart India and Pakistan from fostering closer ties…
But will the talks produce results?
Honestly, I don’t think we should necessarily go by calculations of what will be achieved if the talks are held. Often in diplomacy, a smaller neighbour feels ignored when there are no talks. It is important to keep this vital psychological aspect in mind. Even under the worst provocation we should keep the dialogue going. And if trust and confidence builds up between the two neighbours, even the Pakistan Army would be forced to act against terrorist groups on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, most of which are its own creation.
Former Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman tells SHANTANU GUHA RAY that only the terrorists will be happy if there is no dialogue
India is not allowing itself to be derailed from the first peace talks since dialogues snapped after the 26/11 attacks. How significant are the talks for Pakistan?
The right thing is to talk; you lose nothing by talking. I am aware that the Pune blast and the possible Pakistan link is clouding the atmosphere but if India has evidence to that effect, that should be the first thing on the table and Pakistan has to deal with it. I honestly do not believe talking to Pakistan eases up the pressure. Not talking is a diminishing asset. I doubt if there will be any breakthrough on core disputes in the short-term but the talks are indeed a good step. I doubt whether any side will have an exclusive control over the agenda.
But that’s a climbdown, since Pakistan insisted that it would accept nothing short of a composite dialogue?
The Pakistan government has already said there are no preconditions on either side for the talks. Let’s not get into specifics. Minus the talks, we’ll be back to zero and… it’s certainly not in Pakistan’s interest.
26/11 still clouds the talks. After all, public opinion influences policymaking. And now, an unknown group, Laskhar-e-Taiba Al Alami, has claimed it was behind the Pune blasts.
Let us not talk of 26/11 and Pune every now and then. You had one Mumbai, we have many mini-Mumbais happening all over Pakistan. We have lost over 5,000 people and spent $36 billion fighting terrorism. India and Pakistan don’t need to reinvent what they have accomplished before — a composite dialogue between them where they can talk everything, including Kashmir and other issues.
But hardliners have their own agenda. The BJP and the Shiv Sena don’t want the talks and Syed Salahuddin, commander of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, wants Kashmir to be a part of the agenda.
So what do we do? Get into a Cold War kind of situation and seek military intervention between two nuke nations? By drawing away from talks, we exclude the possibility of any kind of step forward by bilateral means. With the two nations not talking to each other, the only happy side will be that of the terrorists. We have militants routinely telling us to avoid India, its people, its cinema, its sports, IPL, almost anything and everything. But bilateral trade — despite all these hostilities — has increased over the last two years and that is a very positive sign. Let me tell you that I see the Pune blast as part of a continuing pattern to thwart India and Pakistan from fostering closer ties…
But will the talks produce results?
Honestly, I don’t think we should necessarily go by calculations of what will be achieved if the talks are held. Often in diplomacy, a smaller neighbour feels ignored when there are no talks. It is important to keep this vital psychological aspect in mind. Even under the worst provocation we should keep the dialogue going. And if trust and confidence builds up between the two neighbours, even the Pakistan Army would be forced to act against terrorist groups on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, most of which are its own creation.
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