Mohali takeaway

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had taken an intuitive call to use the occasion of an India-Pakistan semi-final at Mohali to connect with his Pakistani counterpart,Yousaf Raza Gilani,and give a political thrust to the bilateral engagement. It was a courageous call,though not one without risks. For there was the danger of the match being over-invested with jingoism,and thereby wrecking the cordiality the prime minister sought to reinforce in Indias toughest diplomatic relationship. In the event the captains of the two teams rose to the occasion,and kept the focus on the action on the field.

The atmosphere was also beneficial for the fragile process Dr Singh is trying to forge,and he acknowledged it as such. Cricket has been a uniting factor, said the PM in a short but fairly substantive statement,and went on to affirm that pathways have to be found to resolve the differences between India and Pakistan. He called the meeting with Gilani a very good beginning the reference obviously being to the earlier meetings at Sharm el-Sheikh and Thimpu that struggled to somehow pull relations out of the post-26/11 stand-off. The caution is also evident from the two PMs attempt to eschew the hype and sentimentalism that so easily surrounds,and eventually smothers,India-Pakistan encounters. Therefore,the caution at Mohali is welcome: Gilani Sahib and I have had extensive discussions on all outstanding issues and we have reaffirmed our resolve that there are difficulties on the way but we will make every honest effort to overcome those difficulties.

Certainly,the home secretary-level meeting this week has promised stronger cooperation in combating terrorism in the region. Pakistans progress in bringing the plotters of 26/11 to book will allow Dr Singh to make bolder moves on the peace process,including a long overdue visit to Pakistan. The next few weeks will show if all stakeholders on both sides of the border are on board the peace process. The new beginning at Mohali is not yet a new dawn. But the pathways discussed by the two PMs on Wednesday have the potential to become a new roadmap for a normalisation of Indo-Pak relations.