Pakistan renews promise to fight terrorism
THE three-day visit of the Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, was remarkable for the impetus it gave to the normalisation of India-Pakistan relations. Both sides were determined to ensure that the visit ended on a successful note. That considerable spadework had gone into the visit is borne out by the joint statement that lists a 17-point action plan which will bring the two countries closer than ever before. More than anything else, it was the General’s pre-visit reference to “a soft border” that set a positive note for the talks. True to his word, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, did not hesitate to pronounce the K-word with the result that the two leaders have decided to address the issue of J&K in a “forward looking manner for a final settlement”.
India and Pakistan have been making steady progress in restoring peace in the subcontinent. President Musharraf’s promise to tackle terrorism, which he has renewed, played a major role in this. The successful visit of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan and the return visit of the Pakistani team brought to the fore the latent goodwill of the people of the two countries for each other. But for this general goodwill, the two governments would not have been able to discard the shibboleths and start the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service. Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the terrorist attempt to disrupt the bus service also helped remove fears. The enthusiasm the bus service has generated across the LoC is seen to be believed.
The joint statement shows Pakistan has realised that the Kashmir problem should not be allowed to hold the people’s yearning for peace to ransom. Measures like opening more train and bus routes between the two countries, easier travel facilities for religious pilgrims and strengthening of bilateral business relations will all go a long way in promoting peace. Once the dynamics of peace prevails and terrorism is prevented from “impeding the peace process”, resolution of seemingly intractable problems like Sir Creek, Siachen and Kashmir, will not be difficult. Dr Manmohan Singh has set the benchmark — anything other than redrawing the borders is acceptable. For a change, Pakistan does not find anything amiss in this position, which is a remarkable turnaround that bodes well for enduring peace.
