Starting again

Having salvaged the peace talks stalled after the Mumbai massacre, and agreeing to travel to Pakistan in the near future, Manmohan Singh must now retain firm control over both the process and agenda of the engagement with Pakistan. To his credit, Singh has held on to his bold vision that the destinies of the two nations are interlinked and prevented a breakdown of the peace process after the July killing of 187 innocent Indian citizens. Vision alone, however, is not enough. Singh must now demonstrate leadership to maintain pressure on Pervez Musharraf to keep his word on ending cross-border terrorism. The PM must also turn up the heat on a feckless Indian bureaucracy to embark on purposeful negotiations.

The decision at Havana by Singh and Musharraf to establish a joint mechanism to 8220;identify and implement counter-terrorism initiatives and investigations8221; has been long overdue. The welcome move provides an institutional framework that goes beyond the current dynamic where India points an accusing finger at Islamabad after every major terrorist incident in an almost knee-jerk fashion and Pakistan issues bland denials of its involvement. That India needs Pakistan8217;s cooperation in dealing with cross-border terrorism is self-evident. The joint mechanism is an opportunity to test Pakistan8217;s sincerity in offering such cooperation. The setting up such a mechanism, through which the two security agencies of the two countries will interact with each other, does not necessarily mean the blasts in Mumbai and Malegaon are the last India might see. New Delhi must continue to expect new terrorist attacks that will threaten the peace process once again.

Managing the complex relationship between terrorism and the peace process demands that India develop its own cross-border leverages as well as make a genuine effort to address Pakistan8217;s political interests in finding an early solution to the Kashmir dispute. The joint statement issued at Havana confirms that considerable progress has already been made in defining the destination as well as a road map on Kashmir. Singh and Musharraf must consolidate that forward movement. They must also end the dithering on Siachen and Sir Creek agreements that have been within reach for a long time. By asking the two foreign secretaries to nudge their bureaucracies into action Singh and Musharraf have stepped up the pressure for substantive results during the former8217;s visit to Pakistan. They must now have the political will to pull it all together.