Go see the games, minister
Expecting any concrete results out of this sports diplomacy is unrealistic in the extreme.
It appears that some good may come out of the Commonwealth Games after all. Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has invited his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi to come to Delhi to witness the Games and continue the off-on-off dialogue between the two countries. Talks are always welcome and Qureshi would be wise to take up the offer. Still, expecting any concrete results out of this sports diplomacy is unrealistic in the extreme. Both foreign ministers just spent over a week in New York for the opening session of the United National General Assembly, and contrary to the world’s expectations, did not hold bilateral talks. As is always the case with Pakistan-India relations, the sticking point was Kashmir. The Indian delegation was upset that Qureshi used the forum to continually raise attention to Indian repression in the disputed territory. Krishna accused Qureshi of making remarks that were “unsolicited and untenable.” He has a point. At a time when we have to deal with terrorism, drone strikes and multiple domestic crises, Kashmir does not need to be at the top of our agenda, especially since it hampers relations with India.
The foreign minister would be well-advised to take up Krishna on his offer and use the meeting to bring up constructive issues like trade. The country is going to face a food crisis for many years and will need to import food from India. This would be an opportune moment to negotiate favourable terms of agricultural trade. Pakistan-India diplomacy since the 2008 Mumbai attacks has been marked by missed opportunities. We have been given another chance to set things right. Diplomacy and sports have combined to produce peace before and could do so again. General Ziaul Haq used the occasion of an India-Pakistan Test match to visit India and revive a moribund peace process. And the Pakistan cricket team’s grace in victory after a Test match in Chennai in 1999 did more to improve relations between the two countries than any politician’s efforts. The Pakistani foreign minister needs to replicate those efforts — for the sake of peace.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2010.
The foreign minister would be well-advised to take up Krishna on his offer and use the meeting to bring up constructive issues like trade. The country is going to face a food crisis for many years and will need to import food from India. This would be an opportune moment to negotiate favourable terms of agricultural trade. Pakistan-India diplomacy since the 2008 Mumbai attacks has been marked by missed opportunities. We have been given another chance to set things right. Diplomacy and sports have combined to produce peace before and could do so again. General Ziaul Haq used the occasion of an India-Pakistan Test match to visit India and revive a moribund peace process. And the Pakistan cricket team’s grace in victory after a Test match in Chennai in 1999 did more to improve relations between the two countries than any politician’s efforts. The Pakistani foreign minister needs to replicate those efforts — for the sake of peace.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2010.