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Journalism of Courage
Seven years had to pass before a stalled dialogue to resolve outstanding issues between India and Pakistan could be resumed. This only points to lost opportunities and should act as a cautionary tale to both nations as they negotiate a complex process. Mercifully, adverse impulses and rhetoric for and against each other8217;s well-entrenched positions, have been absent in the latest round of talks. This is because both sides have made a conscious effort to adopt a positive approach. Even the daily flood of information on Pakistan8217;s involvement in nuclear proliferation has not evoked the type of reactions in India even in the public domain which might have been normally expected. Efforts to maintain sober expectations from the current process have also been helpful.
The first round was undoubtedly meant to work out the modalities and details of how the meetings and discussions under the identified six-plus-two issues would be carried out. Actual meetings may have to wait for the end of the General Election in India. Fortunately, the menu of issues on which the composite dialogue is to be carried out is not to be subject to satisfactory progress in each issue, which could easily hold up progress on all issues. The second aspect that needs to be borne in mind is that given the long history of tortured relations between India and Pakistan, and the tragedy of two decades of violence visited on innocents from across the border, both sides should consciously plan for a sustained investment of effort, even if progress appears slow. Normalisation is a pre-requisite to good neighbourly relations, which are the foundations on which any settlement of outstanding issues could possibly be built.
