NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD, June 12: Indo-Pak talks have got grounded before they have even begun with each side sticking to its own interpretation of what the terms of reference for the talks should be.Less than 24 hours after Pakistan announced that it had declared a moratorium on testing and was willing to talk, India reciprocated by offering to resume the Foreign Secretary-level dialogue with Pakistan on June 22 in the capital.But Pakistan rejected it tonight saying the offer was nothing more than ``traditional political gimmickry.'' And came up with its own proposal inviting India's Foreign Secretary for talks on June 20.Pakistan wants the talks to resume on the basis of the June 23, 1997 agreement in Islamabad. But India has suggested that the talks should be regarding New Delhi's proposals made in Dhaka in January 1998.The crucial difference between the two communiques is that India, according to the Dhaka proposals, does not accept a separate joint working group on Kashmir. Instead, it wantsForeign Secretaries from both countries to deal with Kashmir as well as peace and security (the first two issues listed in the Islamabad communique). The other six issues may be discussed in separate ``sectors'' by other officials.Pakistan, on the other hand, has interpreted the June agreement as both sides accepting separate working groups on all eight issues: namely, Jammu & Kashmir, peace and security, Siachen, Wullar barrage/Tulbul navigation project, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and commercial cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields.New Delhi denies that it ever accepted such separate working groups. The truth is that the wording of the Islamabad communique was kept deliberately vague so as to let both countries interpret it the way they wished to.The seemingly superficial discrepancy, in fact, points to deep-seated differences on the ways both countries look at Kashmir. For India, Kashmir is just one of the eight identified areas of concern thatneed to be discussed with Pakistan. For Islamabad, it is, as it has often stated, the ``core'' issue.The difference in interpretation has been a source of friction for the last nine months, ever since the third round of talks was adjourned in September last year. Even the suspension, which took place on the eve of former Prime Minister I K Gujral's visit to New York to meet US president Bill Clinton, was because of varying views on the modalities for talks.New Delhi fears that if Kashmir is allowed to become the subject of a separate working group, Islamabad will hold it hostage to progress on all other issues. But Pakistan thinks otherwise.By ``rejecting'' the June agreement, New Delhi has shown that it's opposed to a dialogue for the ``just settlement of Kashmir,'' said the Pak Foreign Office spokesman tonight. India's ``attitude,'' he said, ``forcefully underscores the imperative of the engagement of the international community with this process in some form, i.e. good offices, mediation orinitiatives by the UN Secretary General.'' Earlier, the Indian spokesman had welcomed Pakistan's moratorium declaration and implied that Islamabad offer on a `no-test agreement' could be discussed under the ambit of the bilateral dialogue.
