Refusing to be drawn into notions of a dramatic settlement of old and complex problems like the Kashmir issue, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee conveyed a clear message to the Pakistani leadership that the way forward lies in breaking down these problems into smaller issues and addressing them “step-by-step”. Sources said Mukherjee advocated a “problem-solving” approach rather than building hopes and then being disappointed by the pace of progress. So, when Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf told him that three years down the peace process it was time to show movement on the Kashmir issue, Mukherjee responded cautiously saying India would consider all proposals but that must not stop both countries from moving forward in areas they can. He was more direct when MMA’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman pressed him this morning on Musharraf’s Kashmir proposals. “Let’s be clear, borders cannot be changed,” he said. It would be helpful to focus on what can be done, he said, like improving connectivity, trade and other issue across the Line of Control. In making his point, Mukherjee gave the example of the cooperation during the earthquake, including one between the armies of the two countries. If during disaster there could be such cooperation, he added, then why can’t the same be replicated on a more permanent basis. The External Affairs Minister spent over an hour with a delegation of representatives from different political parties this morning before leaving for Taxila on his way back to Delhi. The delegation included former Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain, Asfandyar Wali Khan, Rehman, MQM’s Mohammed Farooq Sattar and Makhdum Amin Fahim. The interaction also gave an opportunity for Mukherjee to get a sense of the Pakistan domestic political situation ahead of the elections this year. While he remained cautiously quiet through this segment of the discussion, sources said, there were some explicit remarks from few of the leaders who felt there was hardly any democracy in Pakistan.Following this visit, a delegation of Hurriyat leaders will be here to meet the Pakistani leadership besides holding meetings with leaders from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The team consisting of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Bilal Lone and Abdul Ghani Bhat will be here on Wednesday. Pakistan will give a sense of the discussions it had on Kashmir with Mukherjee during their meetings. Mukherjee rounded off his visit to Pakistan with a trip to Taxila that got included as one of the places open to Indian diplomats who are currently restricted from travelling beyond Islamabad and Rawalpindi. “We have a shared heritage, shared common culture and this commonality brings us together. and can help us resolve some of the present problems”, he said after touring the historical sites of Taxila. Asked how he felt about the journey from Jangipura to Taxila, he said geographically it was distant but there was a “spiritual continuity”. On his first visit to Pakistan, Mukherjee departed on a note of measured expectations, unwilling to get carried away by the emotive highs and lows of the bilateral relationship.
