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India, Pakistan aim to nudge peace process forward
Indian government source says they have realistic expectations, they should not expect quick and dramatic solutions.
Indian government source says they have realistic expectations, they should not expect quick and dramatic solutions.
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan begin peace talks on Thursday, an important safety valve between two nuclear-armed countries which the United States hopes will help stabilise the region as it prepares to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
But after many false starts, hopes were being kept deliberately low for the two days of talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir. “We have realistic expectations,” an Indian government source said. “We should not expect quick and dramatic resolutions.”
With the India-Pakistan rivalry often spilling into Afghanistan, the United States and its allies are hoping the peace process will gather pace in tandem with plans to gradually withdraw western troops ahead of a 2014 deadline.
President Barack Obama is due to announce the first of a phased withdrawal of US troops later on Wednesday.
During the talks, the foreign secretaries will discuss Kashmir, the disputed territory which has bitterly divided India and Pakistan since independence in 1947.
Pakistan and India, which which have fought three full-scale wars since independence, two over Kashmir, resumed a formal peace process in February, broken off after the November 2008 attack on Mumbai by Pakistan-based militants which killed 166 people.
Progress has been incremental in talks which have included meetings between defence, interior and trade secretaries and a visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to India to watch an India-Pakistan cricket match with his counterpart Manmohan Singh.
A call for patience
“Patience is something that is called for. We will have to be realistic, we will have to be positive in our approach,” Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna told reporters in New Delhi this week.
He said the talks would hopefully “narrow the trust deficit and pave the way for normalisation” of relations. Any sudden crisis between the two – for example if another Mumbai-style attack triggered a military confrontation – could further destabilise Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Given the importance of India’s growing economy, it would also send shock waves around fragile markets worldwide.
In the Kashmir Valley, at the heart of a separatist revolt against Indian rule since 1989, and more recently scene of massive street protests which erupted in the past three summers, few held much hope of progress.
“There is huge cynicism in Kashmir about the talks. People here have been witness to them for so many decades and never have they produced anything tangible,” said local political analyst Riyaz Ahmad. “These talks in the past have all ended in bitter disappointment,” said Mohammad Saqlain, a 47-year-old school teacher. “I don’t see any hope. Kashmir may bleed more.”
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i don’t know why our two countries are fighting these much for kashmir. is there any resource that we could find as much as we are spending in war.. i think we have lost so many lives than the population of kashmir. pak should consider to save it’s own country before helping kashmiris i don’t see any hope. kashmir and pak may bleed more ..Recommend
this is good,but we have to get rid of our addiction to islamic extremism,the last time that the ties between the two countries were severed was because a group of islamic terrorists launched a terrorist attack on mumbai.These people were not with our army or intelligence agencies but were acting out of their religious convictions and religious hate.
The point is that our govt. can do all it wants ,it can do all the good things it wants but an attack by these islamic terrorists will derail everything,it will destroy all the good work that our govt. has put in.so it’s necessary to first of all finish off all these jihadi terrorists and then do diplomacy with india.Recommend
eveytime a peaceful breakthrough is possible islamic fanatics carry out a terrorist attack to sabotage it.We have to have a friendly relationship with all our neighbours but for that first we have to take a decision to remove all jihadi fasaadis from our society.Recommend
Nothing should be allowed to derail the peace efforts.Both sides should be focussed on pushing it forward.There are elements on both sides of the border who don’t like the countries coming closer. They are powerful and well placed.Capable of starting a kargil , ablazing a Samjhaota express or a terrorist attack on the Taj in Mumbai , just to sabotage the talks. But I am convinced that they are a miniscule minority.The overwhelming majority in both the countries want closer rather brotherly relations with each other. If The talks fail the sabotiurs,war mongers and the evil forces in both the countri
es will win and if the talks succeed in nudging the peace process forward the well wishers of both the countries will feel victorius. I pray for their victory.Recommend
get over with it soon and let us live in peace.
went to wagah last week to receive guest and its irony how close we are yet too far.Recommend
If peace has a hope, its possible only through the current PM of india. Also, the Indian PM must directly negotiate with our Generals rather than politicians as the real power lies with them. Hope peace prevails. Recommend
Nice to see so many comments from both sides! :)Recommend
Pak needs to know Kashmir is not the real issue.Water-sharing is not the real issue. Real issue is the hate-love attitude among 2 countries.Now Kashmir is divided and pak holds 2/3rd and India 1/3rd.Sufferers are normal citizens of Kashmir.Both have to sacrifice and maintain the status quo.This is the solution I can see.India’s attitude worsens gradually because of its economic status, Pak’s attitude also worsens gradually because of violence in the country.So, before any worst happens ,make a pact and live peacefully.Recommend
Talking is good — but so long as the govt of Pakistan doesn’t control the military this remains largely a public relations stunt.Recommend
Senior citizens should be allowed Visa free travelling in both the countries. They will create love by telling their sufferings at the time of partition and tell youngs not to hate but live in peace and atmosphere of love.Recommend
There is no way to peace, Peace is the wayRecommend
As an Indian, I want peace with Pakistan, but no friendship, no trade, no people-to-people contact, etc etc. We should build a wall along our border just like Berlin wall. Recommend
@RAJESH KUMAR:
I entirely agree with you. India and Pakistan can never be friends so lets just live in peace.Recommend
@RAJESH KUMAR:
I absolutely agree with you… We on Pakistan side do not want you people here or want any contact with people like you. Stay where You are. No Trade at all. We have other neighbors to do trade with , not with you. I agree with the wall. It must be high enough so that we don’t even see each other. It will be a gift for us if such wall get built.Recommend
Finally some sense! We can be congenial; yes we can strive fot this. But Pakistan and India are like water and oil…we can never mix or have anything in common let alone be friends.Recommend
Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.There is one and only solution of Kashmir issue is to reunite Azad and Indian Occupied Kashmir into one state which has its own borders,laws,constitution,sovereignty and integrity and accept it by India and Pakistan as an independent state as the other the independent states are on the world’s map instead of wasting time and money on fashion shows and photo sessions on the name of useless peace talks.Recommend
@RAJESH KUMAR:
Thats what many Pakistanis want but the problem is that India will not let Pakistan do it. They just want to destroy Pakistan. They want to destroy all their neighbors. India is peace-hater. Recommend
@ rakesh kumar
Its a very practical solution. Today’s generation does not carry the sentimentality of people who left their homes during partition. They are too busy chasing their dreams – this Indo Pak blah blah has gone on long enough. Countries have common goals and can rarely be friends. India & Pak need to have peace – friendship etc is meaningless emotional chatter. Frankly to me Pak is an alien society and similarly for them. Lets cut the emotional bs and get on with our lives as two seperate countries.Recommend
Resolution of Kashmir is the real test of sincere intentions for peace with Pakistan and cannot be thrown under the rug. Pakistan cannot betray the Kashmiri people and why is India holdung off to Kashmir against not only the wishes of the Kashmiri people but also against the United Nations Resolution. This is nothing but fraud. Its a wolf in sheeps clothing and Pakistanis cannot be fooled!!Recommend
@vivek:
can you please apply same thing for india about kashmir. kashmir is for kashmiris. both india and paksitan would have to ultimately accept that.Recommend