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| Ghost of Army Generals throws Qureshi off diplomatic track | | | ABID SHAH
EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, July 16: All is thought to be lost at the diplomatic level on the Indo-Pak front. Yet this may not be the case. And, thus, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna did not try to compete with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi despite provocations coming from the Foreign Minister of Pakistan during and after the talks between the two.
The question that arises is why Krishna is showing such remarkable understanding ignoring grave provocations from the other side. There cannot be any more plausible answer to this than the fact that the civilian Government in Pakistan with which India is dealing now awaits a change of Chief of Army Staff later this year. And it is only too known a fact that nothing moves in Islamabad without the nod from the Army Chief.
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is due to retire in November this year unless he gets an extension. The Government in Pakistan cannot risk any understanding with India unless it has the approval of the Army General of Pakistan. And since within months there is a possibility of a new General taking over the command, Islamabad cannot afford any change in the status quo vis-à-vis as important a neighbour as India.
Events since yesterday indicate this. Qureshi after his talks with Krishna was apprehensive about the view to be taken by the Army in case he signs a communiqué together with Krishna. As of now Qureshi has to account for the view of not only General Kayani but also his likely successor in case a change in top Army brass comes through in November.
Fear of Army hovering over Government in Pakistan like the sword of Damocles is too obvious a factor to be missed by anyone. This could have well worked on Qureshi, bringing harshness to some of his assertions made at yesterday's Press Conference in Islamabad with SM Krishna and again today's televised public appearance by Qureshi alone even before Krishna could fly back to Delhi.
In fact, this is how both the leaders decided that Qureshi's reciprocal visit to New Delhi could take place later this year, meaning after Pakistan is able to decide the issue of its Armed Forces leadership. This possibility has indeed been missed by media generally and analysts more conspicuously.
Yet, the question that arises is why India opted for Foreign Ministers level talk at this stage. For answer to this one has to look at Commonwealth Games slated to be held in New Delhi in October this year. Ever since Mumbai attack about 20 months ago, there have been apprehensions about a similar big repeat by blowhards from Pakistan against India. And India after 26/11 has been keeping Pakistan under pressure by seeking action against the conspirators of 2008 Mumbai attack and thereby also warding off such an eventuality where it has wide international support.
Besides these factors leading India and Pakistan to talk for at least the sake of talking, the unusual provocation shown by Qureshi can have an immediate reason. He took exception to India's assertion that Richard David Headley had disclosed to his Indian interrogators in US that Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved from beginning to end besides the possibility of an Army hand in 26/11 attack on Mumbai that took a toll of 168 lives.
In fact, through the two days of talks with Indian Minister for External Affairs his Pakistani counterpart tried to bring in certain bargaining points to counter India's charge against Pakistan regarding its meddling in Jammu and Kashmir. Qureshi did mention about Balochistan and its leader Brahamdagh Bugti who stands for secession of the northern province of Pakistan and is grandson of the late Nawab Akbar Bugti who was blown off by Pakistani Army during the reign of General Pervez Musharraf.
Krishna replied to this by saying that there was no shred of evidence about any Indian role in Baloch problem faced by Pakistan. Overall Krishna despite his cool mild mannered approach somehow provoked Qureshi where the Foreign Minister of Pakistan went on to say a few things that are being interpreted here as against diplomatic etiquette. And the view here in the wake of this is that with time both India and Pakistan could come to terms with each other. For this the sooner Pakistan gets democratic stability, the better, they say.
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