Dialogue with India

According to the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Prime Minister, Sartaj Aziz, New Delhi has proposed August 23-24 as dates for talks between the NSAs of both countries. An agreement to hold these talks was reached when Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modhi met at Ufa in Russia. The development comes in the wake of rising hostility between the two South Asian neighbours, with the killings in Gurdaspur adding to the list of incidents that have driven a wedge between the nations. The manner in which they have been handled, particularly by India, have not helped the cause of lowering bilateral tensions.

Mr Aziz has said that Pakistan is yet to respond to the Indian proposal. Islamabad should certainly respond in the affirmative to it. It is important to keep channels for dialogue open so that the flagging peace process can be driven forward. There can be no solution to the difficulties between Pakistan and India except through negotiated settlements. Any other option is out of the question. For these reasons, Pakistan needs to do all it can to build the bridges that have remained broken down for long. It is a good sign that India is apparently continuing to make gestures that indicate it is eager to establish peace and talk to Pakistan on critical issues. Talks between the NSAs would be welcome given the skirmishes on the Line of Control, as well as incidents like the one in Gurdaspur. What is important is that the talks be transparent and on a clear agenda. The fact that there was confusion over whether Kashmir was discussed at Ufa is unfortunate. Such a lack of clarity should be avoided as it only gives rise to hawks on both sides to muddy the waters and further perpetuate the hostile environment. It is important that at this point in time when tensions are high, the agenda for the talks between the NSAs is clearly elucidated and takes into account the concerns of both parties, in order to avoid any opportunity for hawks to derail the process. We have no other option, but to opt for dialogue with India.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th,  2015.

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