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Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is also enthused by the positive vibes coming out of New Delhi. “We are encouraged by these statements and hope to continue the new regional policy that will ensure smoothening of relations and economic development through trade,” she said in an interview.
The two ministers are likely to meet when Mr Krishna visits Islamabad in the second week of September, with the possibility of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also following up on an invitation by our president. If premier Singh’s visit materialises, it would be a huge step forward in the history of bilateral relations since 1988, when Rajiv Gandhi attended the SAARC summit in Islamabad. Thus far, India had remained rigidly fixated on action against the Lashkar-e-Taiba and practically held the entire relationship hostage to this singular fixation. The readiness on both sides to allow investments on reciprocal basis — i.e., removal of the ban on Pakistani investments in India and the State Bank’s decision to allow some banks to open business in India — underscore the expanding matrix of confidence-building measures.
In all probability, the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status for India this year paved the way for the apparent turnaround in respective views; Pakistan essentially signalled its preparedness to view India through a different prism and thus pave the way for a relationship that promises greater dividends than a policy that has only eaten into the vitals of the country itself. That means buying into the relations-via-the trade-route approach that New Delhi has been insisting upon.
Regardless of the commercial-financial dividends of the newfound approach of relations via trade, Pakistan expects that rubbing off frictions with India will eventually ease off tensions with Kabul and Washington, too. India has considerable clout with the predominantly non-Pashtun Afghan security establishment and also serves as the prism through which the US looks at Pakistan. The security establishment also seems convinced that under the present volatile security and adverse economic conditions, a vigorous dialogue aimed at reducing disagreements to normalise and expand ties with India will help repair fissures that a skewed defence doctrine has created within Pakistan. India, on the other hand, has realised the futility of linking relations with every single incident of terrorism. Opening up to Pakistan automatically opens multiple political and commercial doors for India.
If Pakistan can convince in a demonstrable way that it is giving up the Cold War era policy of hunting with proxies, there is no reason why India and other distrustful nations should not engage with Islamabad in a more trustful and constructive way. Pakistan needs to convince outsiders that it no longer pursues or believes in the questionable and outdated security doctrine of strategic depth. The burden of political and economic circumstances has created space to depart from the India-centric policies to a pragmatic, people-focused security doctrine.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2012.
COMMENTS (57)
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@Prakash:
Pakistan is willing to accept whatever solution is acceptable to the Kashmiri people. The Kashmiris want reunification and maximum autonomy within the Indian Union that allows direct relations and open borders with Pakistan.
It remains to be seen whether either Pakistan or India will seize the opportunity.
@nirode mohanty:
Not in Kashmir, which wants to be re-united.
@shahid, if we want to compare with china, why will we speak to you in the first case. We will be speaking to china directly.....
we are speaking to you in the first case because we are having problems from you. NOT COMPETITION.
@Ghaznavi, Our religion is our stories(WRITTEN by our Forefathers), YOUR RELIGION is 100% IMPORTED STORY, written by somebody else's forefathers,
don't mix religion with state
@author and all other Pakistani liberals...looking for support from world, India and Indians.
Why should the world care about you liberals of Pakistan. Give One reason which is valid now and was invalid in past 65yrs. exclusively in the period of ZIA.
Why, aha !!!!!
When USA was with your ZIA, you liberals had absolutely no problem with the world. You were not asking for support from world right,
now when the tap is getting drier by the date all liberals of pakistan have started this chorus, " help us to help you "
COME OUT OF IT, STAND UP ON YOUR OWN FIRST !!!!!!
LET's ALL SEE HOW YOU STAND UP, (NOT A CHALLENGE TO YOU PEOPLE) IT is for your survival.
@ Indian
WOW, if you Indians are so smart, why don't you send all this evidence to US and get the USD 10 Million bounty on Hafiz Saeed. FACT IS: These 'stories' of yours are not admissible in ANY court (other than Indian kangaroo courts). The fact is Indians can only tell stories and not facts. Your religion is based on fairy tale & stories, your bollywood is nothing but stories. Keep barking, as a wise man once said, barking dogs seldom bite.
@Shahid: Congratulations. You are better than Somalia.
@shahid:
Dil ke bahelane ko Ghalib / Yeh khayaal achcha hai.
Please continue on your chosen path.
@Shahid,@wonderer: The Indians are flying too high these days.Come down to reality.If you compare where Pakistan and India stood in 1947 pakistan has progressed much more from the base line. Really? For last time I checked Pakistan was ranked 13th in the international failed states index. Check it out http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/20-Jun-2012/pakistan-ranks-13th-in-failed-states-index
@wonderer: The Indians are flying too high these days.Come down to reality.If you compare where Pakistan and India stood in 1947 pakistan has progressed much more from the base line. Unfortunately we Pakistanis are the most harsh and worst critic of our self and enjoy self bashing which gives wrong picture to the woprld. Pakistan has a very good standing among the nations of world.we are Nato partners.we are anation of immense potential. From 1947 to late seventies our rate of development was much higher, now India's is higher so what. Compare yourself to china and you would no where India stands
There is nothing new in India's stand. It is Pakistan which has changed under compulsion.
For the first time the Pakistani FM has spoken of normalization of relations with India without mentioning Kashmir. Or for that matter the first time an article by Pakistani columnist without the 'K' word.
Pakistan is learning to speak the right way. For outcomes which the writer is hopeful, Pakistan must also learn to think the right way. The spirit of Shakuni is still alive and kicking in Pakistan.
What exactly is this "Pakistan" the author mentions? Civilian Govt, Army, Terrorist Groups or Religious Leaders? I am not aware that there is any semblance of cohesion even between these entities to form a "Pakistan". That is the central issue for anyone who wants to deal with that region. There used to be a Pakistan till 1971. There used to be a pretense at Pakistan till 2000 or so. Now there are only these four meaningless gangs milling around without even common hatreds. Judged as a region struggling to become a nation-state "Afghanistan" today is a more credible entity than "Pakistan".
I fully suport what is written by the author but Pakistan has to prove that they are sincere & honest this time. No back stabbing like in Kargil!
@Maula Jut: "@Sapan Kapoor: Pakistan is neither down and out nor on life support. An Australian reader took issue with Time magazine for saying much less than what you are claiming." After that, TIME magazine must have crumbled, did it, especially if it was indeed an Australian reader who took an issue with them? Facts don't lie. Your Chinese patrons are threatening stoppage of work on your much-touted Neelum Hydroelectric project if their past due amounts are not paid promptly. If that is not being "down-and-out", what is?
@shahid:
You start your comment with "........... you have to understand .....", and you are being too economical with facts.
It is high time Pakistan learnt to understand instead of tlling the rest of the world to understand.
It is very clear even from the comments on this post that Pakistanis are feeling ashamed of what they have done in the past and what is happening today. India knows this. It will be helpful for Pakistanis to accept the TRUTH, and get out of the denial mode. It is in your own interest, because only then others will TRUST you.
The reputation you enjoy in the comity of nations is known to you. You must change it if you wish to be regarded as a respectable member.
@Ghaznavi: Yes,Even kasab's presence in Indian jail is not an evidence at all and Abu Jindal having Pak passport and also overseas pakistani resident document are not evidence!!TELL ME THE MEANING OF "EVIDENCE" UNLESS YOU HAVE SOME OTHER ENGLISH TAUGHT IN PAKISTAN!!LOL
@imtiaz gul: Each man's creates his reality in his own perception. Pakistanis denied the reality in East Pakistan till the very end, but they came to terms with it once Bangladesh was created. I am sure eventually you will come to terms with reality in Kashmir - and that reality will be different than the one you perceive today.
@ author " If premier Singh’s visit materialises, it would be a huge step forward in the history of bilateral relations since 1988, when Rajiv Gandhi attended the SAARC summit in Islamabad."
Sir. you forgot to mention Mr Vajpayee's visit to your country and the " reward " India got for that.. regards
After years of arrogance and unintelligent behaviour, not to mention the delusions of grandeur, Pakistan is coming around to India's stand.
It had to. It tried everything, from starting wars to fuelling insurgencies to sending armed Terrorists into India. After everything failed, hope of a Pakistan acceptable solution began to fade.
This effort is to make the best of things. It can never get what India has and India doesn't want anything that Pakistan has. Since, India is the superior power, the deadlock has to end in India's favour.
Events lik 9/11 and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan and its spillover in Pakistan greatly accelerated this.
@Prakash: Let us not gloss over the reality that Kashmir remains very much the "unfinished agenda." This is the reality, of course the cost it has inflicted on Paksitan is an altogether different matter.
@Sapan Kapoor: Pakistan is neither down and out nor on life support. An Australian reader took issue with Time magazine for saying much less than what you are claiming.
Dear all, How Pakistan can compete India in bilateral trade imbalances and how Pakistan can beat the Indian markets and the people if it does not bother for the quality and prices the ultimate strategy and not considered before the government for certain trade facilities and reforms? Mohammad Baig Editor
@Ghaznavi: Provide us with some ‘real’ evidence and not some make believe stories from Arabian Nights. 1. Arabian nights does not have the recordings of Hafiz Saeed's voice guiding these murderers/terrorists in it. The evidence provided does have it. 2. Abu Hamza is not Hafiz Saeed's estranged enemy. He although is a very faithful 'student' of him. 3. Saudi Arabia 'exported'/deported this fellow a Pakistani passport holder to India against the wishes of the Pakistani 'establishment'. They are not his uncles either... 4. Arabian nights does not have anything to do with Pakistan unless Pakistan is in Arabian peninsula. 5. We Indians believe 'evidence' is something that connects a crime to a criminal. I am not sure if Pakistanis follow the same definition...
We also dont like Bal Thackrey, Nerandra Modi, Mohan Bhagwat etc. Bring them to justice and lead by example. Quote me one incidence of any of these fellows doing anything whatsoever in their entire life to 'ONE' single Pakistani.....
I just hope that PTI comes in power soon then we will have a leader with some self-respect.
@Ghazanvi, Precisely this is why India cannot trust Pakistan. @Indians, Why should we or the world at large bother about Pakistan? Pakistan's down and out. It's surviving on life support right now and we must let it die its natural death.
Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai...what abt samjhota express massacre...bring it to justice first
@Sapan Kapoor: International relations nothing is really ever the final nail.U cannot conduct diplomacy with neighbours out of fixed positions. Felxibility, accomodation, empathy and realpolitik dictate diplomacy not otherwise.
@Jat: Mr.Jat, thanks for taking time out to read my article. I must say it will always take two to tango. Progress will always depend on reciprocity by the respective states, and it is quite visible on both sides right now. This is what we should all appreciate and promote.
@ Indians
LeT, and Hafiz Saeed can only be brought to justice through courts. Provide us with some 'real' evidence and not some make believe stories from Arabian Nights. The evidenec which si can be entertained and stand scrutiny in courts. But alas, Indians dont put their money where their mouth is. If they had ANY such information they would have applied for the USD 10 Million bounty on Hafiz Saeed. Even USA does not have 'information leading to arrest' of Hafiz Saeed.
We can not just try and jail a Pakistani because he is not liked by the Indians. We also dont like Bal Thackrey, Nerandra Modi, Mohan Bhagwat etc. Bring them to justice and lead by example.
All the arguments, and the conclusions drawn from them, in this very good article have been very well known for decades, but only to India. The main point to note is that there is a greater acceptance of them by Pakistan lately. The reasons are obvious.
Even now, Pakistanis insist on emphasizing the mutuality of losses and benefits for understandable reasons. Let me assure Pakistanis that there is no shame in accepting your own foolishness. If you do so it shows your sincerity and genuineness. If you had any wise leaders, what you want now could have been yours half a century ago. It is extremely important for Pakistan to never forget Mumbai attack; even if India forgets it.
What is important to remember for Pakistan is the fact that if the bus is missed once again, India will be able to recover while Pakistan may suffer irretrievably. So, grab the chance now!
@Jat:
Well said, 1.2 billion recommendations !
You have made two brilliant points:
1.) Pakistan has to convince in a demonstrable way that it is giving up the Cold War era policy of hunting with proxies.
2.) Pakistan has to convince outsiders that it no longer pursues or believes in the questionable and outdated security doctrine of strategic depth.
Both the above decisions have to be taken by the Army. You think this will happen in our lifetime ?
India had remained rigidly fixated on action against the Lashkar-e-Taiba.... Not as rigidly as Pakistan is fixated on Kashmir.
"Mutual pin pricking" - really...And Author is some sort of director of some research/ academic institute. No wonder the history taught in Pakistan is no history at all. Except perhaps the last paragraph, the whole article is pretty useless from an Indian point of view.
There is a saying in English - "Slow and Steady wins the race".... We have been slow and study in our relations, what is important is these features to be used in the positive direction.... Congratulations to Pakistan for taking a bold and unconventional step... But, let not romanticize this and be careful, slow, steady and practical.....
i still dont trust Pakistan.
Mr. Gul, if India has remained rigidly fixated on action against the Lashkar-e-Taiba, it is her right to do so. That outfit must be first brought to justice and then eliminated for the good of not just India and Pakistan but for the entire world. You portray it as if India is the culprit, calling her actions as holding the relationship hostage.
Two nation theory is the root cause of all Indo-Pak problems. Kashmir and everything else is nothing but symptoms of that problem.. Pakistan is the only country in the world who believe in two nation theory. US, UK and most European countries will never support Pakistan on this issue as that will create problems in those countries too. Will Pakistan ever be able to bury the two nation theory? If not, Indo-Pak problems will continue for ever.
Pakistani investments in India and the State Bank’s decision to allow some banks to open business in India without adequate checks and balances is a disaster waiting to happen. That opens up immense opportunities for laundering Pakistani and Saudi money in India to fund terrorism and Islamic expansion respectively. Sorry, Indian Government has once again been had.
All India wants about Mumbai mayhem is to charge and punish the culprits in Pakistan by Pakistan. Is this too much to ask for crime committed in India by Pakistanis, planned in Pakistan by pakistanis and executed by pakistanis. Where is the fixation in this. If this is fixation then what is the police, Judiciary and courts are for ? Or has Pakistan granted a clemency to these monsters. Or Is pakistani state apparatus part of the culprits. Let Pak come clean on this, This, gentlemen, is not a fixation but a demand for justice and civility.
An excellent, constructive approach.A single main step that Pakistan can pursue its solid economic and strong security developments by declaring that the line of control(LOC) is the boundary line in Jammu and Kashmir.Other disputes will melt away.
Mr.Jat why are you not talking about Indian spy in Pakistan who killed innocent people by bombs? What about ´the muslims in Kashmir which your army killed, raped? Do we Pakistan not have the right to stop your army's activities in both sides of kashmir when most of the people is muslim who are living in india's side of kashmir??
"Pakistan needs to convince outsiders that it no longer pursues or believes in the questionable and outdated security doctrine of strategic depth. The burden of political and economic circumstances has created space to depart from the India-centric policies to a pragmatic, people-focused security doctrine."
No wiser words have been said!
However, Pakistani State and non-state actors are not signed up to this wisdom, will not sign up to it TRUELY for forseeable future (till educational sylabbus is changed for non-hindu, non-Indian centric hostility eradicatrion + 25 years).
Till then, Time for india to seal its border (better safe then sorry) and smoke pipe dreams of Pakistan ever being non-threat!
The Mumbai massacre wasn't one single terrorist incident - it has helped expose the Pakistani complicity in global terrorism. Going after the perpetrators and jailing each and every one responsible ( including those in the ISI) is the litmus test for the world that pakistan has truly given up it's "hunting with proxies" "strategic depth" policies.
Hence the incident's importance.
First make peace with your own citizens, starting with Shias, Ahmadis, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Balochis, Pakhtoons, and with your women who are tired of getting acid thrown in their faces, and for all the people who are killed for protecting your honor. India should not be your concern if you do not poke her with your blood-thirsty terrorists. Pakistan is falling apart but you want to sound like you matter? Something is wrong with this picture.
Funny how every educated Pakistani keeps ignoring the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, like it never happened. Every article I come across, mostly written by cultured Pakistani, fails to even mention the Mumbai incident. How can they ever understand how Indians feel about it. Ofcourse, why should they, when themselves support it. And they also support PEACE.
The author says, "India, on the other hand, has realised the futility of linking relations with every single incident of terrorism." Trust me when I say this that another Mumbai type attack emanating from Pakistan will prove to be the final nail in the coffin of Indo-Pak bilateral and people-to-people relations. Thus please take the threat of terrorism very seriously and do not expect the Indians to continue to tolerate terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Enough is enough. Period
Dream with sid in foriegn office ...
But this line:
"...India, on the other hand, has realised the futility of linking relations with every single incident of terrorism..."
Do you realize how hollow it sounds ? No sir; we have every right to be fixated on Mumbai attacks and LET and will take all such incidents to their logical end.
"Opening up to Pakistan automatically opens multiple political and commercial doors for India." Author should have elucidated what "multiple political and commercial doors" would be automatically open for India by opening to Pakistan. Sir, you are a bankrupt country, strongly vying to rise - and making remarkable progress, too - in the comity of failed nations of the world. You are living from hand to mouth, courtesy the ivy drip of dollars from the Great Satan. You are isolated politically yourself. There are no suitors at your door. Read a Chinese editorial yesterday warning its government that Pakistani jehadis are preparing to strike at them? There goes "the deeper and the higher" friendship. Sir, for want of a more polite word, you are a political pariah! Do you seriously think that the world is taken by empty words?
Mr Gul I had commented on your article about an year back; now you see the writing on the wall. Only India can save Pakistan. And it should not be seen as humiliation, rather just younger brother seeking help from the elder.
There is still time. Once Pakistan enters the imploding whirlpool, then no one will be able to pull it back, not even us Indians.
dreams!!!!!!!!!!!!that also with open eyes........