N-Bill done, PM to move on Pak, J038;K

Singh8217;s response will be carefully read in Islamabad and other world capitals and could set the tone for External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee8217;s visit to Pakistan next month. Mukherjee8217;s talks with Musharraf in Islamabad could also see the finalisation of a set of dates, in the not too distant future, for the PM8217;s long overdue visit to Pakistan.

On his way back from Japan over the weekend, the PM, in a brief response welcomed Musharraf8217;s remarks, that many here see as representing a significant evolution of Pakistan8217;s position on J038;K.

Musharraf had ruled out independence for J038;K, and offered to relinquish Pakistani claims on J038;K in the event of a final settlement between India and Pakistan. He had also hinted that Pakistan is not seeking a territorial adjustment in J038;K and will instead accept a package that focuses on 8220;self-governance8221; for the divided parts of J038;K, that lies somewhere between 8220;autonomy8221; and 8220;independence8221;.

Musharraf also sought to build upon Singh8217;s earlier proposal to establish a 8220;cooperative and consultative mechanism8221; between the two Kashmirs to ameliorate the human condition in the state.

Singh had made this suggestion during his last visit to Amritsar in March 2006. He might now want to pick up the thread of public diplomacy with Pakistan on J038;K in Amritsar tomorrow.

By accident or design, Amritsar, at the heart of the Punjab which paid such a huge price for the partition of the sub-continent in 1947, has emerged as the venue for Singh8217;s big political moves on Kashmir and Pakistan.

Analysts say Singh8217;s Amritsar initiative for a consultative mechanism across the dividing line in J038;K is perhaps the one of the few creative ideas to emerge in the many decades of talks between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. The last time he was in Amritsar, Singh also proposed 8220;a treaty of peace and friendship8221; that could round off a potential resolution of the Kashmir question and the comprehensive normalisation of bilateral relations.

After Amritsar, the July massacre in Mumbai derailed the peace process. It took the September meeting in Havana between Singh and Musharraf to revive the engagement between the two nations. Although the announcement of a joint Indo-Pak mechanism on counter-terror cooperation drew much public attention, the two leaders in Havana had, in a far more consequential affirmation, declared that progress had indeed occurred in the bilateral negotiations on J038;K.

In Havana, Singh and Musharraf had also agreed to work together to reduce the divergence of views on Kashmir and build on the emerging convergences. The indications since Havana, especially Musharraf8217;s recent remarks, are that the back channel conversations on J038;K have acquired some momentum.

Singh had repeatedly insisted that there must be considerable progress in bilateral negotiations before he could go to Pakistan. His remarks in Amritsar tomorrow could give us a peep into the state of play or Indo-Pak diplomacy that has entered a defining moment.