NEW DELHI, 13 January 2007 — External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Pakistan today is likely to set the tone and direction of summit-level talks between the two countries in April. The primary agenda of Pranab’s two-day visit is to extend an invitation to President Pervez Musharraf for the 14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be held here in April. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf are likely to hold talks on further improving ties between the neighbors.
This would be their second meeting in less than a year. They last met in Havana in September. Dates of a visit by Manmohan Singh to Pakistan are also expected to be decided during Pranab’s trip.
This is Pranab’s first ever visit to Pakistan and the first high-level Indian-Pakistani contact since he took charge of the Ministry of External Affairs and since the Havana talks between Manmohan and Musharraf.
During his visit, Mukherjee is scheduled to call on Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri. During talks with Kasuri, Mukherjee is expected to convey India’s expectations from Pakistan on dealing with terrorism. Voicing India’s concern about cross-border terrorism, Mukherjee will seek to know about steps taken by Pakistan on dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism.
The Indian Army yesterday said training camps for the militants were still functioning in Pakistan. “As per information, the terrorist camps are still there. They have not been wound up,” Lt. Gen. A. S. Sekhon told reporters in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir’s main city.
“Some militant communication hubs, located on their side of the Line of Control... are still functional,” he added, referring to the heavily militarized cease-fire line that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
During his talks in Islamabad, Pranab will ask Pakistan to explain and elaborate on its proposals regarding Jammu and Kashmir. Pranab is expected to make it clear that there no question of New Delhi agreeing to Musharraf’s proposal of joint management. He will suggest that India is open to the idea of some sort of joint consultative mechanism to discuss issues of common interest, such as ecology, tourism and health, government sources said.
With the fourth round of composite India-Pakistan dialogue expected to be launched in March this year, Pranab and Kasuri are likely to focus on its agenda.
In addition, discussions will cover such issues as Siachen, Sir Creek, opening of consulates in Karachi and Mumbai and of Indian civilians, including fishermen, held up in Pakistani jails.
There are also chances of four agreements, which were finalized during November 2006 foreign secretary-level talks, being signed. These are on reducing risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons, revised visa regime, speedy repatriation of those who cross the border inadvertently and quarterly flag meetings between sector commanders on the Line of Control.
There has been mixed reaction to Pranab’s planned trip. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dismissed dialogue with Pakistan as “meaningless.” “Talks in the present situation, when the government itself speaks about high security alert at key installations, airports and other facilities, will be meaningless,” BJP leader V.K. Malhotra said.
Kashmiris are, however, hopeful that the minister’s visit will strengthen the peace process.
“Peace in the region is the only solution and dialogue is the only way out of this blind tunnel that has kept us hostage to backwardness and violence for so long,” former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said.
