Love thy neighbour – said no one in the Foreign offices of India or Pakistan. Ever.
After days of back and forth, NSA-level talks between both countries (a first) were unceremoniously cancelled by Pakistan.
One must note in the beginning that last year, India had cancelled Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan. Clearly then the situation does not present itself without a pre-history of talks being cancelled in the past. And by calling off the talks, Pakistan thought it was giving back as good as it had received. Tit for tat and all that.
Foreign policy is an exercise for seasoned diplomats and Track II negotiators. But cross-border theatrics of the past few days do not look like the work of seasoned diplomats. With due respect, teenagers at Mock United Nations conferences would have probably fared better. At least they’d have been more subtle.
Square One
The joint statement released in Ufa, Russia, after the meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif, said that NSA-level talks would seek to address the problem of terror in both the countries. But there was no mention of Kashmir. And there was definitely no mention of talks with Hurriyat leaders.
Nail in the Coffin
When the Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Abdul Basit called Hurriyat leader to meet Pakistan’s NSA Sartaj Aziz, he was fully aware of the fact that the reason behind the cancellation of Foreign Secretary-level talks last year was he himself.
It was apparent from that moment, that the round of talks, whether they would happen or not, were headed towards becoming another blip in the books, just like the several other “talks” between India and Pakistan.
Bickering
When Pakistan extended their invitation to Hurriyat leaders, they knew it wouldn’t go down well with the Indian establishment. As if their frequent visits to Gilgit-Baltistan were not annoying enough for the Indian government, to expect that the latter would accommodate the talks in the country, was a bit of a stretch. And so Round 1 of the sparring began.
Pakistan wanted to speak to Hurriyat leaders, and India didn’t want them to. Pakistan said they didn’t want pre-conditions for the talks, and India said they should stick to the agenda as discussed at Ufa and sent cops to secure the houses of Hurriyat leaders already under house arrest (the extra security was later retracted. Bad move India.)
Grace in the Time of (Soap) Opera
The Modi government showed surprising grace in the face of such blatant provocation by Pakistan – the Hurriyat card – and took one for the home team.
India asserted that there were sections in the Pakistan establishment who wanted to “scuttle” the Indo-Pak talks and were thereby ratcheting up anti-India activities, pushing the country to call off the NSA-level talks. And since they did not want to played, India was willing to come to the table and awaited confirmation on the same from Pakistan.
Let’s see what happens. We are monitoring the situation. The government will respond appropriately.
– Government sources
Dossier Drama: Dawood and R&AW
For years Pakistan has insisted that the Indian Research and Analysis Wing has been aiding terror activities inside their borders. And for years India has claimed that Pakistan had been giving asylum to terrorists who have masterminded major terror attacks on their soil.
Both countries had prepared dossiers with details of said claims and were all set to bring them to the talks. India had details from the interrogation of Naved, the Pakistani national and alleged captured terrorist and from the Gurdaspur attack. The Indian agencies were also in possession of documents, addresses and photographs which clearly indicated that 1993 Mumbai blast accused and all round general fugitive Dawood Ibrahim was living out of 9 residences in Pakistan, they had telephone bills, passport numbers, flight manifest details and his latest photographs, irrefutable proof of his presence in Pakistan.
The dossier prepared by Pakistan allegedly possessed details of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing’s (R&AW’s) involvement in instigating acts of terror in Pakistan.
‘Ball is in India’s Court’: Waah Sartaj!
For Round 2 of sparring, Pakistan’s NSA Sartaj Aziz, not wanting to be left out of the soap opera, held a press conference and countered by saying, among other things, that Pakistan was in line with the agenda set in Ufa (their interpretation of it at least). And they never really expected a breakthrough at the meeting anyway but thought that current issues could be resolved. He also said that the violation of the fundamental rights of the Hurriyat separatists was disturbing (funny thing coming from the guy who heads an office that probably gets daily updates of almost every violation of rights in Pakistan, fundamental or otherwise).
Aziz added that the cancellation of the talks was not confirmed and Pakistan was prepared to go ahead as per schedule but without pre-conditions. He also added that what India was trying to do was akin to controlling the guest list for his reception at the Pakistani Embassy.
Poorna Swaraj
Three hours after Aziz held his press conference in Islamabad, Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, tired of being India’s latest object of ire and in desperate need of some old school venting came out for Round 3 of sparring.
Swaraj pulled off a masterpiece in oratory, and highlighted among other things the fact that there had been 91 ceasefire violations since the meeting in Ufa, including two terror attacks in Gurdaspur and Udhampur. She insisted that the talks first centre around terror, and that everything else would follow.
With regard to the Hurriyat issue, Swaraj hailed the Simla Pact, pointing out that it was agreed up on in 1972 that any bilateral talks would only be between the representatives of both countries, there would be no third party stakeholders. What she forgot however was the fact that in the years she was warming the Opposition benches, Pakistan had in fact been allowed to talk to Kashmiri separatists for years. Taking that into account some middle ground could have been reached. Alas.
The Utopian Mis en Scene
Almost three generations have inherited a legacy of hate on both sides of the border. And the only people to benefit from the rivalry don’t even live anywhere near those borders.
Does Pakistan really need to turn to China and the US for aid? Do armed forces on both sides really need to lay down so many lives year after year?
Has anyone on both sides of the border though about what the two countries could have achieved by genuinely supporting one another over the years?
Sounds so naïve and unearthly doesn’t it?
Well, I wish it didn’t.
It is time we come to terms with the fact that for years we have been failed by our diplomats and bureaucracy while they bicker like teenagers. And that it’s time they stopped getting away with it.
So, I rest my case and end with this gem from across the border.
Pakistan Zindabad! Jai Hind!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own, and not a reflection of The Quint’s editorial stance.
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