NEW DELHI, 22 April 2003 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s “offer” to hold talks with Pakistan has raised the big question: Is the Indian premier ready for talks?
When questioned on resumption of Indo-Pak talks, a senior Foreign Ministry official replied yesterday, “I cannot comment on the prime minister’s statement, but he has put the whole issue of dialogue in proper perspective.” While addressing a rally in Srinagar on Friday, Vajpayee said, “We extend the hand of friendship again, but hands have to be extended from both sides.” The following day, while addressing a press conference, Vajpayee added a condition to resumption of dialogue, that Islamabad has first to stop cross-border terrorism.
The last point also implies that Vajpayee’s “offer” does not signal any major change in India’s stand toward holding talks with Pakistan. “India’s position has always been that it is ready to resume dialogue with Pakistan to address all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, but unless cross-border terrorism stops how can you hold talks,” the ministry official said.
Not surprisingly, after welcoming Vajpayee’s “offer,” Pakistan described his reiteration of India’s old stand on talks as “old wine in new bottle.” Saying that this does not signal any forward movement on the dialogue issue, a senior Foreign Ministry official said in Islamabad, “We welcome the change in the tone and tenor of Mr. Vajpayee.”
There is also a view that Vajpayee deliberately adopted two different stands on his willingness to hold talks with Pakistan to please different kinds of audience. The first offer — without any tags attached — was probably aimed at United States. Not prepared for a change within less than 24 hours, US reacted promptly and welcomed Vajpayee’s offer. The second offer had conditions attached to ease tempers within his own camp, who had expressed reservations against his Friday offer.
Vajpayee’s Kashmir visit and the much-publicized offer were also deliberately timed to caution United States and Pakistan about there being no change in India’s stand toward revival of Indo-Pak talks. US officials are expected to shortly visit the subcontinent to try their hand at breaking the Indo-Pak ice.
Ground realities also serve as pointers to India retaining its earlier stand and that Vajpayee indulged only in a play of words. Just a day after Vajpayee left the valley, senior army officials accused Pakistan of stepping up infiltration of heavily armed foreign militants. Brigade commander of Krishnagati, Brig. V.K. Patil said yesterday, “Pakistan has accelerated pumping in more and more foreign mercenaries, particularly Pakistani militants to keep the dying militancy alive in J and K, where local militants are fed up with gun culture.”
Vajpayee’s “offer” cannot be detached from the atmosphere he tried to create through his addresses in Kashmir. By reciting profusely from famous Kashmiri poets, Vajpayee probably aimed to win the favor of Kashmiri audience.
The center’s interlocutor for Kashmir N.N. Vohra arrived in Srinagar yesterday for a weeklong visit to hold talks with political leaders. The center is trying its hand at a move at which it has not been successful in the past.
