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Dialogue of the deaf

Dialogue of the deaf

Author: Editorial
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 21, 2008

It's absurd to talk to Pakistan now

But for evidence to the contrary, the UPA Government's astonishing faith in "building trust and cooperation" with Pakistan could have been dismissed as nothing more than the touching naïveté of the uninitiated. What makes the Government's decision to despatch Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Islamabad to carry forward the bogus 'peace dialogue' doubly dubious is the timing of the visit. Pakistan has been repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control with Pakistani Rangers firing indiscriminately at Indian patrols and posts; at least two jawans have been killed in the unprovoked firing. More ominously, the firing is aimed at providing cover to jihadis trying to sneak into India. The massacre in Jammu bears evidence of Islamabad's intentions. That apart, it is clear that Pakistan is no longer willing to honour the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2003. It is a measure of the UPA Government's weak-kneed policy that rather than respond to this violation in an appropriate manner, it has chosen to seek 'peace' with the aggressor. Second, the ghastly slaughter in Jaipur should have served the purpose of convincing any Government sensitive to national interest that Pakistan continues to promote jihad in this country and, to that extent, cross-border terrorism remains an instrument of Pakistani state policy, irrespective of the regime in Islamabad. To suggest, as the Prime Minister is given to slyly suggesting, that we should continue talking to Pakistan even as it foments violence in our country, is an absurd proposition. Third, the coalition Government in Islamabad, headed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan People's Party, is tottering. Mr Nawaz Sharif has signalled that the Government's collapse is imminent and unless he has his way, which appears improbable, Pakistan's tryst with democracy would suffer yet another jolt.

Seen against this backdrop, Mr Mukherjee's assertion that the "new democratic environment" in Pakistan will help address various issues related to "peace, stability and economic development" sounds utterly hollow. Indeed, when he meets Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday, there's little that he can achieve apart from exchanging pleasantries and extracting false promises. On Tuesday, India's Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and his Pakistani counterpart, Mr Salman Bashir, discussed terrorism, Jammu & Kashmir and "various confidence building measures" while reviewing the fourth round of dialogue. If truth be told, such discussions at this point of time are not only futile but also ill-advised: It amounts to no more than a dialogue of the deaf, with Pakistan refusing to listen to India's concerns and India failing to comprehend Pakistan's sinister doublespeak. Curiously, Mr Mukherjee's visit to Islamabad comes in the wake of the US Administration urging India to talk to Pakistan and Mr Gilani meeting President George W Bush at Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt. Are we then to believe that there is more to the visit than meets the eye? It is entirely possible that the Americans want us to legitimise the current regime in Islamabad, which is on a life support system, and strengthen Mr Gilani's position. But should we accept this responsibility and carry the can for somebody else?


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