NEW DELHI, MARCH 25: There was enough in US President Bill Clinton's address over Pakistan Television today to satisfy even the most hardboiled cynic here.Four formulations in particular have pleased New Delhi, prompting one official to react, ``He has kept faith with us.'' (At a joint press conference in New Delhi, Clinton had promised Prime Minister Vajpayee that he would take up the question of cross-border terrorism with Pakistan.)One was the blunt admonition that ``you cannot redraw borders in blood''. The Indian side sees in this a warning to Islamabad against cross-border terrorism and the calls for Jehad.The second was the fact that while urging both India and Pakistan to resume their dialogue, Clinton clearly put the onus for its success on Islamabad. ``Pakistan must create the conditions to allow the dialogue to succeed,'' the US President stressed. This is the closest Clinton has got to the Indian position on the resumption of the stalled talks and as one official pointed out, it was even better than the formulation he used here because he pinned the responsibility on Pakistan directly. In Delhi, he did it by implication, linking dialogue to the cessation of violence.The third is his emphasis on the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. ``The answer to imperfect democracy is not to end it but to improve it,'' Clinton said, dwelling at length on the virtues of popular rule. Officials here pointed out that Musharraf could not have liked his barbs which were indirectly critical of last year's military coup.And of course, the fourth was his categorical rejection of US mediation in the Kashmir dispute. Islamabad has been pushing for Washington to intervene and by saying ``no'' on Pakistani soil, Clinton has earned himself several brownie points here.An important nuance to the address, feel officials, is the implication of his closing remarks that if Pakistan follows the suggested path to progress and peace, the US ``will walk with you''. This is being seen here as a veiled warning that if it goes the other way, it could lose Washington's support in the future.Official circles here feel that if Clinton was so forthright in his public address to the people of Pakistan, he must have been far more blunt in his private talks with the military rulers. What has pleased observers here is the fact that the US President was consistent, as he had promised, in his formulations and stuck to the positions that he had taken in New Delhi on critical issues such as terrorism, the sanctity of the Line of Control and the bilateral route for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.The optimism is, however, tinged with caution as the Government waits for the State Department to put out its official comments on the Clinton visit to the subcontinent. These would indicate the extent of substantive content to the rhetoric.The Government's satisfaction was evident in the speed with which the Foreign Office put out an official reaction. ``We welcome President Clinton's call to the people of Pakistan to look to the future and not remain mired in quarrels of the past. This was the sentiment also conveyed by Prime Minister Vajpayee when he visited Lahore. We note that the US President has called on the Government of Pakistan to abjure violence and respect the sanctity of the Line of Control. We too believe that the path to a common and bright future lies in an end to hostile propaganda and cross-border terrorism,'' the statement said.
