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Journalism of Courage
Encouraged by the possibility of Pakistan’s religious hawks reinventing themselves, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has sent out the message that barring those elements who are ‘‘dangerous and hostile,’’ everyone’s welcome in India.
The latest Pakistani visitor making positive noises is none other than Fazal-ur Rahman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, who told journalists here today that the Shimla agreement should be the guiding principle in talks between India and Pakistan.
To be fair to Rahman, he has been saying the same thing for the last three years — and did so again at a press conference some months ago after the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal coalition took power in the NWFP — but the fact that he chose to repeat himself on Indian soil seems to have strengthened the ‘‘peace with Pakistan’’ constituency in the establishment.
Led by the PM himself, this group feels that more and more visitors from Pakistan would only ‘‘develop the constituency for peace.’’ It would give Pakistanis a first-hand sense not only of the diversity of public opinion here but also that the Indian state is hardly determined to ‘‘undermine’’ Pakistan.
Rahman may or may not meet the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani or even Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, but it’s more than likely that he will have some sort of an interaction with the Indian establishment.
A number of visitors from Pakistan to India are expected in the next few weeks. India’s newest high commissioner to Pakistan Shiv Shanker Menon is believed to have gone with the brief that it’s high time a thaw took place and people-to-people interaction pushed between the two countries. Fazal-ur Rahman may well be that unlikely catalyst.
In New Delhi today, Rahman said he had changed his views on third party mediation in the light of US attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. According to him, a third party would inevitably be a big power with its own interests and in the end, neither India nor Pakistan would be happy with the outcome.
He, however, hoped that both countries would move quickly in the direction of resolving controversial issues like Kashmir. ‘‘The more we delay in taking the process ahead, the greater the prospect of a third party entering the scene,’’ he said on his arrival in the Capital from Deoband in Uttar Pradesh.
On New Delhi’s repeated concerns over cross border terrorism, Rahman said: ‘‘We are here to create goodwill and leave disputes for governments to solve. Let us work towards building peace in the entire region.’’
Meanwhile, his associates said they had put in a request for security cover to the Home Ministry. While the ministry denied having received any such request, it ensured that it would do the needful in case the request reaches them.
Rahman also desisted from commenting on the controversial Legal Framework Order related to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf occupying both the seat of President and that of the Army Chief, saying he had forgotten the issue when he crossed the border at Wagah. ‘‘I will not speak on these issues here. In Islamabad, I will reply forthrightly to questions on Pakistan’s internal politics.’’
