India-Pakistan Relations: Is Dialogue the only Option?

The resumption of talks between India and Pakistan is a reflection of a renewal of engagement between the two countries. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has allowed talks with Pakistan despite stiff resistance at home. For India, terrorism is a key issue that Pakistan is reluctant to address. Manmohan Singh has made efforts to engage Pakistan despite such serious problems. As expected by many analysts, the recent Foreign Secretary level talks held on 25 February did not yield any substantive results, the two countries failing to agree on a roadmap for the resumption of the Composite Dialogue, which has been stalled since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Nevertheless, the meeting should be considered a positive step in normalising relations between the two countries. After such a long hiatus, the talks had clearly been framed as a ground to restart diplomacy between the neighbours.

India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao described the meeting with her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir, as a useful discussion and said that it would be premature to restart broader bilateral discussions. She added that the two sides had agreed to keep talking informally: “We have set out to take a first step toward rebuilding trust, and I believe my meeting with the Pakistan foreign secretary has constituted that first step. We have agreed to remain in touch.” In effect, this means that the two countries have agreed to hold talks in the future.

India’s focus at the talks was on terrorism and terrorist activities that have adversely affected it, primary attention being given to the need to rein in terrorist elements operating from Pakistani soil. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told a press conference at the end of the talks that “terrorism” was discussed for most of the time and India had handed over “three dossiers” to Pakistani officials. Reportedly, the dossiers were on those linked to the Mumbai attacks, al-Qaeda-linked terrorists and Indian fugitives hiding in Pakistan. The Pakistani seemed to be under pressure on this issue. Pakistan made last minute changes in the composition of its delegation and sent signals that it would talk on specific issues of Pakistan’s interest, foremost being Kashmir and water.
 
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir played aggressive diplomacy cards and in his press conference after the talk outlined the issues that were central to the Pakistan establishments thinking. Salman Bashir told the media that he had conveyed the message to his counterpart that the Pakistani people and leadership want good relations with India, but the terms of engagement should be changed. However, the substantive thing about the meeting was that not only has the door opened after a long hiatus, the space for further talks has been left open, with the possibility that the Indian foreign secretary will visit Pakistan ahead of the SAARC conference to be held in Thimphu.

The meeting is politically sensitive for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has attempted to bring the two countries back to the negotiating table, despite stiff political resistance at home. Analysts believe that Manmohan Singh pushed forward the meeting partly because he seeks to make progress in India-Pakistan relations that stalled after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. In 2007, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf came close to an agreement on Kashmir during secret talks, but that deal was suspended when Musharraf lost power.

India and Pakistan have an historical animosity and fought three wars. The neighbours can ill afford war since both have nuclear arsenals. There are no two opinions that healthy relations between India and Pakistan have far-reaching implications for the entire subcontinent. Bilateral issues between India and Pakistan have eroded the prospects of SAARC becoming an effective body to work for regional solutions to South Asia’s problems, such as those that are worked out at ASEAN for South-east Asia. The SAARC agenda has always been overshadowed by differences between India and Pakistan. Suspicion and mistrust between India and Pakistan have eroded the chance of effective cooperation to tackle security issues.

Pakistan should review its position regarding relation with India. There are elements within the Pakistani establishment, politicians, the military and media which are not ready to let go of their age-old perceptions about India and stance over Kashmir. There is a section in India that should look into its perception about India-Pakistan relations, too. These perceptions get a fillip especially in times of strained relations. Thus, there is a need for constructive engagement, based on commonly accepted ground realities.

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement on Pakistan while on a visit to Saudi Arabia (27 February – 1 March) can be interpreted as a shifting approach on India-Pakistan relations. Speaking at the Majlis Al-Shura (the Saudi Consultative Council) on 1 March 2010 Manmohan Singh said that “If Pakistan cooperates with India, there is no problem that we can not solve and we can walk the extra mile to open a new chapter in relations between our two countries”. In what could amount to nudging Saudi Arabia to engage proactively towards breaking the ice in India-Pakistan relations, the Prime Minister asked King Abdullah to use his “good-offices” in the over six-decade long conflict. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “I know Saudi Arabia has close relations with Pakistan. I did discuss the Indo-Pak relations with His Majesty on a one-to-one basis. I explained to him the role that terrorism, aided, abetted and inspired by Pakistan is playing in our country. And I did not ask for him to do anything other than to use his good offices to persuade Pakistan to desist from this path.”

Thus, a first step for constructive engagement would mean that Pakistan must stop fuelling, abetting and sponsoring terrorism against India. Pakistan also has to ensure that its soil should not be used by terrorists for launching attacks on India. While directly engaging Pakistan, India can give two messages to the world community. First, India seeks to normalise relations with Pakistan despite its fomenting terrorism in India. Second, India is a peace loving country and seeks peace in the region. Thereby, Pakistan will be under international pressure to desist from such activities. Engagement between India and Pakistan will reduce the chance of conflict and war in the region since both possess nuclear weapons.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views either of the Editorial Committee or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies).