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| Abdul Basit triggers fresh controversy | | | Well despite the fact that India has
made a new beginning for engaging Pakistan in a bilateral process of dialogue the basic difference between the two continue to exist as far as the issue of Kashmir is concerned.In fact New Delhi has initiated fresh peace process and in this connection Prime Minister,Narendra Modi,had a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister,Nawaz Sharif in Paris. This was followed by the NSA level talks between the two sides in Bangkok where the presence of two foreign secretaries lent significance to the parleys.India did not rest with it.And the External Affairs Minister,Sushma Swaraj, spent two days in Islamabad where she had meetings with Nawaz Sharief and his trusted man Sartaj Aziz. However, a new twist has been given to India's search for peace by the Pakistan High Commissioner to India,Abdul Basit.Basit has remained a man of controversy adept in triggering conflict.He was instrumental in forcing New Delhi to call off the the proposed NSA and foreign secretary level talks in August last because India felt enraged over the timing of invitation to Hurriyat leaders by Basit.
And this time too he has,before the start of the bilateral talks,triggered yet another controversy when he said that Pakistan continued to treat Hurriyat leaders representing the aspirations of people of Kashmir and he will have no objection in inviting them for talks even during the time of bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan. Basit has added a new dimension to the bilateral talks when he stated that Kashmir is the core issue of conflict between India and Pakistan.Solving Kashmir problem will be the biggest breakthrough in India-Pakistan peace process, said Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit. He insisted that there was no change in Islamabad's stand on engaging separatist leaders on Kashmir issue. Basit believes that the root cause of distrust between the two countries is Kashmir and not anything else. Trust will automatically be built up if the issue is solved.He said there will be no change in Islamabad's policy towards Hurriyat leaders because Hurriyat represents aspirations of people of Kashmir. As far as Pakistan is concerned, there is no change in Islamabad's policy towards them,He did not rule out the possibility of inviting Hurriyat leaders for dinner if there were talks between India and Pakistan that too in New Delhi.
Against this India has not deviated from its stand on promoting cordial ties with Pakistan.
This became evident when Sushma Swaraj expressed hope that re-engaging with Pakistan under a 'Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue' will mark beginning of peace and development as continued estrangement was a hurdle to peace and prosperity in the region.Making a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha on her last week's visit of Islamabad and recent developments relating to ties between the two neighbours, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the environment conference in Paris "again re-engaging with each other."The underlying sentiment, on which New Delhi is confident that this House concurs fully, was that the continued estrangement of two neighbours was a hurdle to the realisation of our shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous region.
Mark the difference between the statement of Sushma Swaraj and the one made by Abdul Basit.While Swaraj believed that terrorism was the main hurdle in the growth of cordial ties between India and Pakistan,Basit believed that unsettled Kashmir issue was the main obstacle in the peace process.Sushma Swaraj has made it clear that there was also a "sharp awareness" that principal obstacles to the growth of ties, especially terrorism, would have to be clearly and directly addressed.
This way Islamabad has to remain prepared for a discussion on terrorism duri ng the prop;osed parleys and it would be in the interest of peace in the South Asian region if Islamabad avoided insisting on resolving the Kashmir issue first. |
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