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GREATLY awaited and most imperative face-to-face
interaction between the Indian Premier AB Vajpayee and
President of Pakistan Gen Pervez Musharraf — eventually — got
translated into a reality — beaming to the globe — signs of ‘hope
for the best’ — in the times ahead.
Lasting a little over an hour, the meeting of Vajpayee with
President Musharraf was set on an explicit request by the
Indian Prime Minister — who is in Islamabad for the SAARC
Summit. This was the first formal contact between the two
leaders after Agra Summit — almost two years ago.
Though, Pakistan’s foreign office has phrased this episode — as
‘a positive development’ — facilitating ‘a process of parleys,
eventually culminating into a composite dialogue’ — by all
perceptions of realism, such a finale evaluation is nothing
outside an extraordinary conjecture.
Significantly, whereas President Musharraf in his Banquet
speech, while eulogizing India’s zest for ‘amity via
socio-economic ties’ — simultaneously — did overtly emphasize the
need for removing the basic irritants — which have been plaguing
amity between the two nuke-neighbors, the Indian Premier,
subsequently opted to speak nothing — beyond his typical
rhetoric ‘for continuation of the process of contacts ’ — mainly
focusing his ‘fascinating allure’ for socio-economic uplift of
the region — South Asia.
Applying India’s decades-old style of placing in abeyance the
basic issue — with the Kashmir atop — Vajpayee pursued the
‘policies’ of his political ancestors by keeping mum on this
core issue — and instead came out with a novel avowal that ‘new
questions were raised, which are demanding new answers.’
The singular ray of hope that surfaces from his outlook is — his
call that India and Pakistan — ‘should work together by
understanding mutual problems to seek better solutions.'
A fair and judicious appraisal of India’s mindset, manifest
the veracity that such a perception is neither new nor
astonishing. As is indexed in the history of this region,
India has — invariably — been selecting for such somersaults,
perceptibly ‘to gain time’ — with a hideous aspire to make
perilous problems — linger-on.
It is evident from the text of Vajpayee’s statement — he aired,
a day before his arrival in Pakistan — wherein he plainly
ruled-out any possibility of having any meeting with the apex
leadership of Pakistan — even on the sidelines of the SAARC
moot. Yet, he took a sudden swing by requesting for a meeting
with the President of Pakistan.
As a splendid and generous host, President Musharraf gave a
nod, obliging the explicit request — yet, with all sincerity for
a durable peace in South Asia — did convey his message for the
solution of the conflicts — in an amiable ambiance, which can be
made possible only through a meaningful dialogue and evocative
negotiations.
Every realist would accumulate that Musharraf’s reference was
towards the Kashmir dispute, which is the root-cause of the
risky settings in this region.
Although, a clued-up Vajpayee did understand the essence of
Musharraf’s potent viewpoint — yet, he [Vajpayee] did not make
even a stray hint towards the core issue. This stands as
evidence that India does not seem in a mood to talk about the
bona fide topics.
With such a stance, how can he justify his words for an
affluent South Asia — which he narrated at the SAARC assemblage?
Before stepping onto the soil of Pakistan, Vajpayee had said
in New Delhi that he was ‘ready to talk on Kashmir issue’ but
echoed his country’s illicit claim that ‘Kashmir is its
integral part.’
With ruthless amassing of arsenal of mass-destruction from
everywhere — more exclusively — from its close allies like Israel
and Russia — whereby — New Delhi shall be getting death-defying
weapons worth 2 billion from Moscow and to the tune of a
billion from Tel Aviv — every pragmatic soul has a right to lift
eye-brows — as to what for this magnitude of collection of
armory — even at the cost of its’ own populous, a large number
of which lives below poverty-line — is being mounted — as India is
‘apparently looking for socio-economic settings, backed by
peace in the region — and does not have any foe — any where.’
With such a scenario, Vajpayee’s ‘delight for continuity of a
process of Indo-Pakistan interaction’ in nothing except a
fresh somersault, which openly represents typical Indian state
of mind of calculated uncertainty to hoodwink the world
community through hollow outbursts and to appease the
extremists within India by taking an affront with Pakistan at
the same time.
His previous expression of willingness for dialogue with
Pakistan and later ruling out its possibility, however,
manifested the traditional Indian dubiousness and cunningness.
Amid intensification of a reign of terror in the Indian
held-part of the charismatic Himalayan State of Jammu and
Kashmir and India’s constant evasion from a dialogue on
Kashmir dispute, once again proves that the Indian leaders
seldom honor their words and change their views according to
the situation without remorse or repentance.
Let there be no illusion in anyone’s mind that peace, progress
and poverty alleviation in South Asia squarely hinges on the
resolution of the Kashmir issue.
The people of both the countries — specifically in India — have
endured untold sufferings due to confrontation and conflicts
between the two countries over the past half a century.
The fact is that the Kashmir issue has remained unresolved
primarily due to the Indian intransigence and belligerence.
Time has, however, come when there is no escape from seeking
settlement of this dispute — preferably in a peaceful mode.
Prima facie, Vajpayee does have the image, will and keenness
to promote peace between the two countries so as to make them
live as good neighbors. With this sanguinity, one can simply
hope that he will try to resolve the Kashmir issue — of-course
in the light of the ground realities — as this has been and
persists as the root cause of tension in South Asia.
With Pakistan’s peace overtures, a heavier responsibility,
thus devolves on Mr Vajpayee in this milieu.
As far Pakistan, it has consistently sought resumption of the
stalled Indo-Pak dialogue to resolve Kashmir and other
outstanding issues.
The world, therefore, looks forward to a positive move by Mr.
Vajpayee to break the impasse so as to usher in a new era of
peace, goodwill and sincerity by ensuring a tangible
breakthrough on Kashmir before he embarks on the voyage — to his
home, lest he gets his aver and emblem of being — ‘a man of
peace’ — evaporated.
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