The media and Indo-Pak talks

NIDDERAU, GERMANY: Aakar Patel’s piece of July 21 titled ‘How media can help the Pakistan-India dialogue’ is excellent piece. I think having talks without any conclusions is better than a war of words. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi needs a lesson or two in diplomacy. I am sure he will learn that bad feelings of so many decades do not disappear in one go.

I understand the difficulties. In Pakistan you need an angel to admit to India that India is not going to hand over Kashmir. It needs years, if not decades of good relationship before anything could possibly move forward. Terrorism must stop and Pakistan must curb its cross-border adventures. Trade must increase, free movement of people should increase and the governments must not bow to internal pressures.

Of course, all this is easier said than done. In India there is a weak government and Pakistani democracy is still in its infancy. One step in the right direction, however, is better than no movement at all.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2010