Quake diplomacy may ease Indo-Pakistan tension<\/p>\n
By M.V. Balaji<\/p>\n
NEW DELHI (DPA): It took a devastating earthquake before
\nIndian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani Chief
\nExecutive Gen. Pervez Musharraf spoke to each other on the
\ntelephone for the first time.<\/p>\n
According to officials, the conversation centered mainly on
\nthe plight of the Gujarat earthquake victims. Musharraf expressed
\nsympathy for them and Vajpayee thanked him for providing relief
\nmaterials.<\/p>\n
Press reports said Musharraf later praised Vajpayee as a \"dove
\namong hawks\" and said he hoped he would help resolve differences
\nbetween the two South Asian countries which have fought three
\nwars, two of them over Kashmir. The territory remains the chief
\nbone of contention between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The nuclear tests conducted by the two states in May 1998 have
\nfurther heightened tensions in the south Asian region.<\/p>\n
Both of them continue beefing up their arms requirement. India
\nplans to induct into its armed forces the Agni series of
\nintermediate ballistic missiles which could deliver a nuclear
\nwarhead over a distance of more than 2,000 kilometres. Both
\nPakistan and China, with whom India also fought a border war, are
\nwithin its reach.<\/p>\n
The telephone conversation between Vajpayee and Musharraf, the
\nfirst top-level contact between the two countries since the
\nborder conflict between the two countries in the Kargil region of
\nKashmir in 1999, led to hopes of an \"earthquake diplomacy\" to
\nease the tension between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Visiting Greek Premier Konstantinos Simitis mooted the idea of
\nearthquake diplomacy and urged both the countries to profit by
\nit. \"Earthquake diplomacy is of great use. It can help ease
\ntensions,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But remarks by Musharraf within days of the telephone
\nconversation showed that Kashmir remained an insurmountable
\nobstacle.<\/p>\n
The general said while his telephone talk with Vajpayee has
\nbroken the ice, the peace process between the two nations will
\nlose its momentum if the Indian government delayed in granting
\npermission to leaders of the Kashmir separatist All Party
\nHurriyat Conference (APHC) to visit Pakistan for talk with Muslim
\nmilitants and government leaders.<\/p>\n
Addressing a \"Kashmir Solidarity Day\" meeting at Muzaffarabad
\nin part of Kashmir under Pakistan's control on Monday Musharraf
\nsaid New Delhi and Islamabad should open official level talks
\nwithout delay.<\/p>\n
The APHC leaders offered to visit Pakistan to capitalize on
\nthe ceasefire declared in Indian-administered Kashmir against the
\nMuslim militants at the end of November to coincide with the
\nMuslim holy month of Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
But the Indian government has so far not issued them passports
\nand is reportedly piqued over the presence of pro-Pakistani
\nleader Ahmed Ali Shah Geelani in the APHC team for Pakistan.<\/p>\n
The ceasefire was extended up to Jan. 26 by Prime Minister
\nVajpayee and later by a further month despite reported opposition
\nfrom his senior cabinet colleagues, including Home Minister Lal
\nKrishna Advani and Defense Minister George Fernandes.<\/p>\n
Pakistan gave a guarded welcome to the extension but said
\nIndia should follow it up with other measures, including a three-
\nway dialogue between Islamabad, New Delhi and the Kashmiri
\nseparatist leaders to resolve the problem. But Kashmiri
\nseparatist insurgents have rejected the ceasefire as a
\n\"propaganda ploy\".<\/p>\n
New Delhi has been insisting it will talk to Pakistan only if
\nIslamabad stops supporting \"cross-border terrorism\", meaning the
\ninfiltration of armed secessionist insurgents into Indian
\nKashmir.<\/p>\n
It is also averse to tripartite dialogue and its negotiations
\nwith pro-Pakistan Muslim militant group Hizbul Mujahideen
\nfoundered last year over this issue.<\/p>\n
But Islamabad denies arming and training the Kashmiri
\ninsurgents and says it only provides them with political support.<\/p>\n
The Asian Age newspaper reported Thursday that Vajpayee faced
\nstrong opposition over talking with Pakistan especially from his
\nExternal Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh who, like him, has a
\nliberal reputation.<\/p>\n
Singh who has the backing of Home Minister Advani, a known
\nhardliner, reportedly argued that talks would be meaningless
\nagainst the background of continuing violence in Kashmir.<\/p>\n
Asian Age said the hands of Vajpayee and his security adviser
\nBrajesh Mishra, who wanted to initiate negotiations with
\nIslamabad, were tied due to cabinet opposition.<\/p>\n
But opposition groups, including the main opposition Congress
\nParty and the two communist parties, have urged the government
\nnot to get struck in the \"cross border terrorism groove\" and get
\nready to talk to Pakistan, the paper said.<\/p>\n
They pointed out talks between the two countries had been held
\nin the past even when the violence in Kashmir was much higher
\nthan what was prevalent now, it said.<\/p>\n
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Prakash Karat said
\nit was necessary for New Delhi and Islamabad to begin talks as
\nIndia has rejected any third party intervention in Kashmir.<\/p>\n
Observers said the situation required a little more
\nflexibility from both the sides.<\/p>\n
Otherwise they would not be able to capitalize on either the
\nceasefire in Kashmir or the goodwill generated by Pakistan's help
\nand sympathy for the victims of the quake on Jan. 26 which left
\nup to 100,000 people dead.<\/p>",
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