Islamabad had promised a ‘‘robust’’ reply to New Delhi’s dozen-step offer but if there was anything robust in the reply it was its refrain: start a composite dialogue —the rest will fall into place. This refrain is by now all too familiar here but this time, aware that it needs to be seen as coming up with a ‘‘constructive’’ response, Pakistan accepted four proposals, attached riders to six and politely said no to two (see chart). Announcing Pak’s response, Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar said there was no ‘‘setting aside’’ the core problem of Kashmir, which he labelled as ‘‘cancer’’ and ‘‘poison.’’ ‘‘We have carefully studied the Indian proposals and have decided to respond positively to the latest Indian proposals in the hope that the latest reciprocal steps taken by both countries would lead to the resumption of a meaningful dialogue,’’ Khokhar said. While accepting initiatives like the resumption of cricketing and other sporting ties, allowing senior citizens to walk cross the border in Wagah, talks on civil aviation links on December 1 & 2 and establishing regular communication between coastguard authorities, it attached riders to most of the other proposals. Even while agreeing on civil aviation talks, Islamabad said that it should be delinked from talks to restart the Samjhauta Express. Just days ago, New Delhi had said that talks on the train service depended on the success of the civil aviation. On the sticky issue of the bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in PoK, Pakistan said yes—but with a rider that effectively buried the offer: run the bus under UN auspices, use only UN travel documents since it is a ‘‘disputed area.’’ With Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee not in the Capital, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha away in Brussels and Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal in Japan, an official response from New Delhi is likely to take some more time. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani was, however, briefed in detail by senior MEA officials on the Pak response in the presence of Home Secretary N. Gopalaswami today.On the rail link between Khokrapar in Rajasthan and Munabao in Sindh as well as a ferry between Mumbai and Karachi, Islamabad linked any movement on these to starting a composite dialogue process. As for Delhi’s offer of visa camps in certain designated cities, Pakistan said that to ensure this, there should be an increase in the staff strength at respective high commissions. And in a retort to India’s ‘‘goodwill gesture’’ to provide free medical treatment to 20 Pak children, Islamabad came up with its own ‘‘Kashmir-specific’’ scheme: ‘‘Pakistan will offer 100 scholarship for Kashmiri students to study in professional institutions at graduate and post-graduate level. We will offer treatment for disabled Kashmiris and would assist and help widows and victims of rape, affected by the various operations launched by security agencies.’’ Political analysts in Pakistan said the exchange of proposals was a positive development though only a small step. ‘‘These things look small and isolated, but are good confidence-building measures which will create the atmosphere to really tackle the big issues like Kashmir,’’ said former foreign secretary Niaz Ahmed Naik. (with Reuters)
