More than anything else, the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, at the SCO at Ufa in Russia on Friday suggests that India and Pakistan appear ready not to spurn even tentative steps to resume their ruptured dialogue.
This is practical thinking. Since geography cannot be changed or ignored, heightened animosity when one or the other country is left dissatisfied by a particular turn in events usually leaves the situation worse off and makes the ground permissive for negative actions. Since overall solutions to basic questions in India-Pakistan ties are not about to sprout forth, it makes sense not to miss opportunities to better manage relations.
The Ufa meeting was at India’s initiative following a broad diplomatic hint by the Pakistan leader last May when he sent a box of mangoes to Mr Modi, possibly as felicitations on completing a year in office. India was required to take the first step to resume the conversation since it had disrupted talks last year when the Pakistanis insisted on meeting Kashmir’s separatist leaders on the eve of talks with New Delhi. Was this going to be India’s “red line”, as some Indian hawks thought it should be: no dealing with the separatists by Pakistan if Kashmir were to be on the agenda?
The matter has not yet been put to the test. The Ufa joint statement did not mention Kashmir, though it did say that the two sides would not permit “terrorism” to take hold. In India-Pakistan talks, Islamabad has always pressed the “K” word, while New Delhi has emphasised “T”. The exclusion of Kashmir has upset the separatist camp in India as well as the Pakistanis. Perhaps Mr Sharif agreed to leave out the Kashmir reference because India is as yet unclear if the “red line” is to be stabilised. The more pragmatic explanation may be that this was just an approach meeting where nothing of substance was pursued but openings were sought to be made at the top political level.
No agreements were inked at Ufa, no deliverables pondered. Perhaps this is because the only deliverable likely for now is another meet between the Prime Ministers, possibly on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in September. Pakistan has offered to give India voice samples of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the commander of the 26/11 attacks, so that the Mumbai trial can proceed. But this was promised in 2010 too and Pakistan reneged. The two national security advisers will meet before the Prime Ministers. Their conversation may be a pointer of things to come.
