Author: Mr. G. Parthasarathy (The
author is former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan)
Publications: India Today
Date: July 16, 2001
We are inclined to believe that
every Pakistani ruler is different from his predecessor. But from Zia to
Nawaz Sharif, all have pursued the same course.
It was a pleasant evening in 1983
in Karachi when I met Begum Nusrat Bhutto at one of those parties where
liquor flowed freely, even as General Zia was vowing to make Pakistan a
devoutly Islamic country. "Your husband was a consummate politician. What
possessed him to overlook five generals and trust Zia-ul Haq to be his
army chief?" I asked. She recounted that when her husband visited Multan
in 1973, General Zia, then the corps commander, met him and claimed he
was a devout Muslim. Zia added that he recognised that Bhutto had saved
Pakistan from further disasters after 1971. He then went on to swear on
the holy Koran that he would always remain loyal and faithful. Bhutto's
trust was amply repaid when Zia ousted him in 1977 and then hanged him.
Before he died, P.N. Haksar acknowledged
his mistake in advising Indira Gandhi to accept Bhutto's private assurances,
especially on Kashmir, and not insist on incorporating these in writing.
We are unfortunately inclined to believe that every Pakistani ruler is
different from his predecessor, that we should forget the past and trust
the new messiah. When Vajpayee took the bus to Lahore, few remembered it
was Nawaz Sharif and his ISI chief Javed Nasir who masterminded the Mumbai
blasts of 1993.Sharif found it expedient to welcome Vajpayee as he was
then trying to seek a dialogue with India because of economic compulsions
and the international pressure after the 1998 nuclear tests.
General Musharraf needs a dialogue
with India. He will use his visit to establish his legitimacy internationally
and among his own people. He will avoid any commitment on reducing cross-border
terrorism till hisdemands, including the reduction of Indian forces in
Kashmir, are met. He will try to create a situation where he can tell the
world that India is "not sincere" in resolving the Kashmir dispute. The
entire effort will be to undermine the primacy of the Simla Agreement and
the Lahore Declaration, while seeking a new framework that focuses on Kashmir.
It would be a grave folly to agree to any such proposal.
Pakistan is engaged in destabilisation
throughout India. It is the home of criminals who masterminded the Mumbai
blasts, terrorists who hijacked IC 814 and militants from the Babbar Khalsa.
It openly proclaims support for jehad against us. It uses Nepal and Bangladesh
to spread fundamentalism, terrorism and separatism in India.
The essence of good diplomacy lies
in expanding cooperation while firmly making our concerns known. We should
prepare to move ahead on people to people contacts, trade and nuclear and
conventional confidence-building measures. We should tell Musharraf there
can be no compromise on our territorial integrity and that progress can
be made only when the ISI support for terrorism ends. We should judge Musharraf
by what he does, not what he says.