NEW DELHI, 12 November 2003 — Marking the day by a crucial handshake, India and Pakistan displayed readiness to move toward peace and greater cooperation at the SAARC Information Ministers’ Conference inaugurated yesterday by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Soon after the inaugural formalities were completed, setting aside mutual differences and disputes that have brought the two nuclear foes to the warfront on several occasions, Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed walked up to Vajpayee and greeted him. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. He stood next to Vajpayee, as the SAARC ministers posed for a group photograph.
Hinting that it was time India and Pakistan overcame their hostility, during his address, Vajpayee emphasized the need for SAARC to give greater importance to integration. Drawing attention to post-Cold War alignments and technology revolution, Vajpayee said, “It is time that we recognize what it means for all of us in South Asia. If SAARC cannot organize itself, it will simply miss the boat.”
“Other developments will seize the economic opportunities offered by closer integration. We cannot forever be challenging logic and mocking economics,” Vajpayee said. The message was clear, sharp and simple. India and Pakistan should not let SAARC’s progress be hindered by their bilateral differences. Against the backdrop of Indo-Pak tension, if the last SAARC summit at Katmandu was marked by President Pervez Musharraf taking the world by surprise by walking up to the Indian premier to shake hands, at present, India and Pakistan are making extra efforts to set the stage for the Islamabad summit.
The Pakistani minister later told reporters, “I have conveyed to Vajpayee good wishes of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and invited him for the SAARC Summit.”
“We are waiting for his (Vajpayee) tour to the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in January,” Ahmed said.
On what was the Indian premier’s response, Ahmed quoted him as saying, “milenge” (we will meet).“I have conveyed a short, sweet and smart message to Vajpayee because short is always good. Lengthy things just remain on paper,” Ahmed said.
Before leaving for Moscow a little later, Vajpayee told reporters at Delhi airport, “I just shook hands (with Ahmed). There was no conversation today.”
This was, however, the first contact between the Indian and Pakistani leadership after the Agra fiasco (July 2001), which was followed by the foes turning their backs toward each other. Since then, Ahmed is the first Pakistani minister to visit India.
Diplomatic importance given to the SAARC ministers’ conference was signaled by the Indian premier’s departure for the three-nation tour being rescheduled to enable him to inaugurate the meeting and exchange pleasantries with the SAARC ministers before taking off.
Soon after his arrival on Monday evening, Ahmed stunned the Indian circles by expressing that Vajpayee is “the only leader” who can take “bold steps” to resolve outstanding issues between the two nations.
“Vajpayee is the only leader who can take bold steps to resolve Indo-Pak issues. Other than him, I think it is all darkness,” Ahmed said. On instructions from “higher level” authorities, Indian television channel services have resumed telecast of Pakistan television programs. In other words, utmost attention is being given to set the stage for Vajpayee’s Islamabad visit in January.
