Unless Richard Armitage, America’s second-most powerful diplomat, pulls a rabbit out of a hat tomorrow in talks with National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, his visit to the capital en route to Islamabad is likely to be more than business as usual.Still, despite the flagging pace of the current Indo-US dialogue over Pakistan, New Delhi has redoubled its efforts to keep the relationship in good humour. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, who will miss Armitage tomorrow because he is in Kathmandu, will be going to Washington on September 9 for meetings with his counterpart, Secretary of State Colin Powell, US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice as well as some other Cabinet-level ministers.Sinha’s meetings with the senior US leadership is expected to set the tone of the interaction between PM Vajpayee and President Bush in New York around Sept. 12-13. Vajpayee reaches New York in time to participate in Sept. 11 ceremonies at Ground Zero, after which he is likely to address the UN General Assembly on September 12.With no breakthrough with Pakistan in sight, elections in Kashmir around the corner and the US leadership preoccupied with Iraq, Vajpayee’s US tour is likely to be a cryptic one. Apart from transit halts in Europe, he is not likely to visit any other country on both journeys.New Delhi’s currently pragmatic mood vis-a-vis the US means that Armitage is not likely to call upon Vajpayee tomorrow. In fact, he is not even carrying a letter from Bush for Vajpayee. The day will be taken up with meetings with Defence Minister George Fernandes, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and Mishra.Clearly, the Government is bracing itself for an uneventful day — a far cry from June when Armitage brought the welcome news that Musharraf had then pledged to him not only a ‘‘permanent’’ end to cross-border infiltration but also that he would take action on dismantling the camps that trains terrorists.New Delhi is keenly aware of the fact that Washington’s dependence on the General to fight Al Qaeda on the western border and within Pakistan has tied its hands on pressing him to live up to his promises on the eastern side with India.Musharraf’s recent insistence that he is not in control of infiltrators, for the moment, has not impressed New Delhi. All eyes are now on the Kashmir polls, whether they will be held in a peaceful atmosphere. Sources said the polls would be a ‘‘litmus test’’ for dialogue with Pakistan, which includes seeking an ‘‘agreement’’ for the new high commissioner-designate Harsh Bhasin for Pakistan.Under the circumstances, Armitage and his Indian interlocutors are expected to spend as much time talking about the bilateral relationship as about Pakistan. Still, Armitage will also hope to get a sense of the Kashmir poll process, including on how representative the elections are likely to be before he flies onwards to Pakistan.
