Amidst a plethora of disturbing and confusing developments in the South Asian region, such as al Qaeda-related terrorist attacks in Pakistan, armed clashes on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, talk of an impending military operation against militants in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan and the dangerous nuclear and ballistic missile race between Pakistan and India, there is at least one reassuring report from Islamabad and New Delhi: bilateral talks under the peace process, resumed earlier this year, are proceeding well. The two countries recently concluded their discussions in New Delhi on the thorny issue of Siachen. Although talks, which were held at the defence secretary level, remained inconclusive, indications were there that the two sides were inching towards a resolution of the dispute. It was decided to carry the process forward and hold another meeting on the issue on a date convenient to both sides. During the meeting, Pakistan presented a ‘non-paper’ to India, which outlined a roadmap for the withdrawal of forces from the glacier. At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was also issued, which acknowledged that the discussions held in a “frank and cordial atmosphere” had contributed to the enhancement of understanding each other’s position on Siachen.
According to an Indian media report, the presentation of non-papers and the issuance of a joint statement were interpreted by officials as indication of “some progress” towards the resolution of boundary demarcation on Siachen. The statement made by the spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Office, which said that the foreign secretary level meeting between the two countries would soon be held, is also indicative of some positive movement forward as a result of a series of talks held between the two countries in the last two months on bilateral disputes covered by the composite dialogue process. The foreign secretary level meeting is to be followed by a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries to conclude the long delayed fifth round of the peace process initiated in 2004.
Pakistan and India had announced the resumption of the peace process on February 10 following a meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries on the sidelines of a SAARC Conference in Thimpu, the capital of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. It was decided that all the eight subjects covered by the composite dialogue on peace and security, including confidence building measures (CBMs), Jammu and Kashmir, counter-terrorism, progress on the Mumbai trials, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, trade and economic cooperation, culture, promotion of friendly exchanges and humanitarian issues would be discussed.
The first of these meetings was held between the interior/home secretaries of the two countries on March 28 and 29 this year to discuss the issues relating to terrorism, counter-terrorism, smuggling and visa procedures. The meeting decided to set up a joint working group (JWG) to examine the modalities for streamlining procedures for the issuance of visas for intending travellers. The JWG was also meant to finalise the draft of a bilateral visa agreement between the two countries. The JWG held its first meeting on June 2 and 3 in Islamabad. The two sides discussed the details and modalities of a visa regime with the view to ease restrictions on travel by the nationals of the two countries.
The interior secretary level meeting was followed by a meeting of the commerce secretaries of the two countries to discuss the promotion of trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and India. The commerce secretary level meeting decided to further enhance bilateral trade, which has witnessed a manifold increase in the last decade. The meetings on Sir Creek and the water issue were also held in an atmosphere that was described as “cordial and friendly”.
As anticipated, the resumed peace process is moving at a slow pace, and none of the meetings held so far have led to a breakthrough. But the fact that the two countries are not only talking to each other, but are also holding follow up discussions to implement the decisions of the official level meetings, shows that there is a sincere commitment on both sides to improve bilateral relations. Last week’s meeting of the JWG on visa procedures is an example. The continuation of the dialogue process is imperative for arriving at a mutually satisfactory settlement of disputes. There is no doubt that the pace of the process is slow but, given the complexity of the problems, lack of trust and wide gap in the positions of the two countries on security-related issues, this was widely expected. However, these difficulties can be overcome provided the two sides demonstrate patience and statesmanship in handling the long-standing and complex bilateral disputes. Fortunately, we have democratically elected and representative governments in both countries — a fact that can contribute positively to push the peace process forward. There are domestic as well as regional compulsions, such as the terror threat, grinding poverty, social unrest, the approaching endgame in Afghanistan and, above all, the international community’s keen interest in preserving peace and security in South Asia, which make it imperative for Pakistan and India to respond positively and ensure an atmosphere of peace and security in the region.
The writer is a professor of International Relations at Sargodha University. He can be reached at [email protected]