Vajpayee8217;s grand gesture

Atal Behari Vajpayee has always been associated with the grand gesture 8212; and the charisma and political stature to carry it through. Even so, perhaps nobody had quite expected the alacrity with which he accepted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif8217;s suggestion that he drive into Lahore on the inaugural bus service from Delhi. By doing so, Vajpayee has clearly signalled his resolve to sidestep stately, albeit often futile, diplomatic summits and try something radical to end a 51-year-long, mutually destructive stalemate. And in a nation where innuendo and symbolism break deadlocks more effectively than laboured statements of intent, perhaps only a whimsical decision to casually hop across the Wagah border and collect the Pakistani premier could rescue a bilateral dialogue steeped in a clash-of-civilisations mindset and give subcontinental diplomacy a fresh, populist spin. More significantly, by swiftly lofting the ball back into Sharif8217;s court, Vajpayee has cleverly challenged him to match his welcome wordsof reconciliation and bonhomie with tangible deeds.

In the process, the Prime Minister has outlined the contours of the emerging Vajpayee doctrine: let the two foreign offices proceed with the paper work and thrash out the nitty-gritties of Sir Creek, Siachen, Wullar barrage, the volatile line of actual control, confidence-building measures; but simultaneously give a wholehearted fillip to cultural and people-to-people interactions. Indeed, it could be argued that five decades of stymieing popular contact has shrouded bilateral deliberations in mutual distrust and suspicion and cultural and cricketing exchanges could in fact be the necessary catalyst for diplomatic breakthroughs. But this begs a question: was the time anyway ripe for a changed tack or is this something only a politician like Vajpayee could have carried through? The answer lies somewhere in between. As a new generation in both countries ponders the futility of hatred and, thanks to the satellite revolution, chances upon a common culturallegacy, there is a new curiosity about life across the border. Yet, it also probably required a Vajpayee, with his eclectic mix of firm political credentials and sweeping charisma, to repeatedly throw down the gauntlet to the hawks and banish old phantoms.

Still, the euphoria over the bus to Lahore notwithstanding, the road ahead is littered with obstacles. Vajpayee and Sharif may eventually traverse the half-hour route from Amritsar to Lahore, but the future of the bus service itself is in doubt, with the Jamaat-i-Islami in Pakistan and the Shiv Sena here hell-bent on sabotaging it. Sharif8217;s call for a bilateral dialogue on the nuclear issue may foreshadow a similar approach to the Kashmir problem, but will this political will filter down to official delegations? The Chennai crowd may have thumbed its nose at spoilsport goons, but there is no guarantee that a cross-border visit by, say, Lata Mangeshkar will be any smoother. Yet, optimists have been given a glimpse of a different road and the bus to Lahoremay still throw up a few more surprises.