India and Pakistan today took a respectable leap for their nations and a small, reassuring step for the region, when they resumed their promised official-level dialogue process here and exchanged proposals on modalities and time-frames relating to the eight issues that comprised the 1998 composite dialogue framework.While both sides agreed not to reveal any details to the media, it is reliably learnt that the first item in the 1998 dialogue that consists of peace and security & confidence-building measures, could be expanded to a discussion of nuclear CBMs.These are said to essentially be a rewrite of the 1999 understanding on nuclear CBMs, including risk reduction, that was decided upon during the Lahore visit of Prime Minister A B Vajpayee.It is also not clear whether part of the dialogue process that relates to Kashmir will be upgraded as the Pakistani side wants. New Delhi doesn’t seem to be terribly keen, believing that it would be pointless to tinker with an existing process, especially when it has served both sides well in the past.Both sides stressed that this week’s talks were being held under the ‘‘political direction’’ imparted by the January 6 joint statement agreed upon between Prime Minister Vajpayee and General Musharraf,where certain assurances on ending violence and hostility as well as not allowing Pakistani territory to be used by terrorists to cross over into Kashmir had been underwritten. On the other hand, New Delhi had agreed to begin a reciprocal dialogue on Kashmir.Pakistani spokesman Masood Khan said ‘‘there was a new momentum that must be maintained,’’ adding that the eight issues were interrelated and would have to have a ‘‘simultaneous track.’’ Analysts said Islamabad was making sure that New Delhi would not ignore Kashmir while making progress on all other issues.As talks proceed, Khan said, India and Pakistan could expand the the dialogue to include discussions on a ‘‘nuclear-restraint regime.’’The warm and friendly start of today’s process, albeit at a junior bureaucratic level, is neverthelesss a key element in the overall big picture, that also includes separate discussions that both New Delhi and Islamabad are holding with their respective Kashmiris.For example, the Centre is believed to have decided to hold its second round with the Hurriyat on March 22 in the capital. Back home deputy Prime Minister L K Advani hopes that his dialogue process can be soon expanded to include not only other Kashmiri leaders such as Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah, but also leaders from Jammu as well as Ladakh.Here in Islamabad, President Musharraf is also believed to have given orders to Kashmiri terrorist groups to temporarily shut down their camps and move out of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) and into the Gilgit-Baltistan areas. While these terrorist camps have not been dismantled as India desires, so as to put a complete end to cross-border infiltration, it gives him the breathing space to push the dialogue process with India.Musharraf is also believed to have told the Kashmiri groups that they must convert their struggle into a ‘‘political’’ one. Significantly, intelligence agencies like the ISI, which have run the Kashmir ‘‘proxy war’’ for the last nearly 15 years, are also believed to have been told to withdraw from the jehad and let it be controlled by the Kashmiris themselves.It is under this background that today’s resumption of the dialogue process is taking place. Foreign Secretary Shashank who will wrap up the round with his counterpart Riaz Khokhar is also expected to meet Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.
