By Shobori Ganguli
Thursday Jan.19, 2006, New Delhi: As CBMs float in the air Balochistan has finally given India the bargaining chip it lacked when it came to dealing with Pakistan’s weapon of terrorism in Kashmir.
On Wednesday, the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries concluded the inaugural session of the third round of Composite Dialogue in a "friendly and frank" atmosphere. This friendly atmosphere, however, saw some charged moments on Tuesday when Pakistan threatened to walk out of the peace process altogether if India persisted in "interfering" on the Balochistan issue.
Given the intense international focus on the peace process, India is well aware that for Pakistan to abandon the peace dialogue at this juncture is easier said than done, a threat it can never carry out. This gives India ample space to flog Pakistan over the "situation" in Balochistan the way Pakistan talks of the "situation" in Kashmir. Phrases like "restraint", "people’s grievances," "peaceful discussions," and "violence" that hitherto formed part of Pakistan’s Kashmir lexicon, therefore, are now being employed by India to attack Pakistan’s handling of Balochistan.
That score settled, the two sides here went about the routine dialogue process as two civilised neighbours working towards a "vision of peace and friendship" with plenty of confidence building measures (CBMs), civil and military, thrown in to make the process appear credible. Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said he conveyed to his Pakistan counterpart Riaz Muhammad Khan that CBMs are "an integral part of finding a final settlement of the Jammu & Kashmir issue."
That Pakistan does not agree with the fundamental premise of this view is another matter. Mr Saran said, "There are possible differences in perception but one should not exaggerate the differences as long as there is agreement on the larger question of peace and prosperity." Pakistan insists on delinking CBMs from the fundamental issue of Kashmir, a view reflected in President Pervez Musharraf’s package proposal of demilitarisation, self-governance and joint management of the territory.
Although reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to end crossborder terrorism and carry forward a "substantive dialogue" on Kashmir, Mr Saran let out the basic differences the two countries continue to thrust at each other each time Kashmir is mentioned. Replying to a question Mr Saran pointedly reiterated India’s stand that borders cannot be redrawn and there can be no territorial adjustments.
On Pakistan’s proposal of demilitarisation, Mr Saran asserted that deployment or reduction of troops is India’s sovereign right. As for Pakistan’s major export to India, namely terrorism, Mr Saran said, "Terrorism is terrorism...Terrorism cannot be used as a bargaining chip." Asked whether Pakistan had done enough to check crossborder terrorism, Mr Saran said Pakistan was told much more needs to be done. In this context the Delhi and Bangalore terror attacks were duly brought to Mr Khan’s notice.
All in all, the Composite Dialogue is allowing India and Pakistan to air their differences in a more "cordial and constructive atmosphere," leaving the foreign office spokespersons of the two countries to employ less charitable language on fundamental issues like crossborder terrorism, Kashmir and Balochistan.
Sample this: "India been watching with concern the spiralling violence in Balochistan and the heavy military action...by Pakistan to quell it... We hope...Pakistan will exercise restraint and take recourse to peaceful discussions to address the grievances of the people of Balochistan." Or: "India often shows an unacceptable proclivity to interfere in the internal affairs of its neighbours. Such a tendency is contrary to efforts aimed at building an environment of trust, peace and stability in South Asia."
Talking at a tangent on Kashmir and keeping Balochistan alive and kicking in New Delhi, the two countries on Wednesday, in a joint statement announced further CBMs and "reiterated their resolve to carry forward the peace process and maintain its momentum."
"Consultations on security concepts and nuclear doctrines to develop measures for confidence building in the nuclear and conventional fields aimed at avoidance of conflict," will continue. These would work towards an agreement on ’Reducing Risk of Nuclear Accidents or Unauthorised Use of Nuclear Weapons’. The draft was presented by India.
There will also be an agreement on "prevention of incidents at sea in order to ensure safety of navigation by naval vessels, and aircraft belonging to the two sides. Pakistan will present the draft. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the opening of the five crossing points across the LoC. A bus service between Poonch and Rawalakot and a truck service on Muzaffarabad-Srinagar route for trade in permitted goods has also been proposed.
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