Reviving the India-Pakistan peace process
- By Sajjad Malik
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 2, 2015
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After years of hiatus, hopes have been revived for a resumption of the India-Pakistan peace process. |
After years of hiatus, there are hopes that India and Pakistan can find a way to resume the long-stalled peace process to end their long-troubled relationship.
A dialogue had been underway for five years when India unilaterally suspended talks in 2008 after militants targeted Mumbai and killed more than 160 people. The terrorists were linked with a militant group active in the Himalayan region of Kashmir - ownership of which is at the core of the troubles - and had traveled from Karachi to target the Indian financial hub.
The attack resulted in innocent citizens of several countries being killed despite having no part in the underlying dispute. India reacted with anger and suspended all diplomatic contacts with Pakistan. The most notable casualty was the composite dialogue launched in 2004 under which the two sides had held five rounds of talks on all key contentious issues.
Various efforts for resumption failed as India insisted Pakistan should first punish the alleged perpetrators, including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the attack, who was arrested after the attack by Pakistan security forces and is facing trial in an anti-terrorist court.
The legal process to prosecute him has dragging on, irking not only Indians but also many Pakistanis.
Despite differences, the political leaders have been in contact. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after winning election last year, invited his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif to attend his oath-taking ceremony. The two leaders met on the sidelines and promised to revive the peace talks.
Their foreign secretaries were scheduled to meet in August but India cancelled the meeting after the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi met pro-Pakistan Kashmir leaders. It was more a political move as the ruling Indian party wanted to extract some political mileage ahead of crucial election in Kashmir towards the end of the year. Later it did well in the polls and is now part of coalition government in the state.
Last month, Mr. Modi called Mr. Sharif and announced a plan to send his foreign secretary to Islamabad. The move was, in fact, choreographed through the good offices of U.S. President Barack Obama. Now, the two foreign secretaries are meeting in Islamabad.
The focus of the meeting is whether they can agree to revive the structured dialogue process suspended after the Mumbai attack.
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