NEW DELHI, 6 August 2005 — India and Pakistan yesterday began a third round of talks aimed at building trust on military issues and avoiding an accidental nuclear war between them.
In the two-day talks, the Indian side is led by Meera Shankar, additional secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, and the Pakistan side by Tariq Usman Haider, additional secretary in the Pakistan Foreign Office.
During the talks, the two sides will deliberate on the progress made in the earlier rounds and discuss the steps needed to carry forward the process. Earlier, India and Pakistan had reached agreements on reducing the risks of a nuclear conflict, sharing information on missile tests and military exercises. The last two meetings were held in June 2004 in New Delhi and December 2004 in Islamabad. The two countries are likely to reach an agreement on pre-notification of missile tests. They were close to reaching such an agreement in December but were handicapped by differences on category of missiles to be notified.
With the ongoing deliberations on nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs) having proved to be an effective diplomatic strategy in defeating speculation raised earlier about India and Pakistan heading toward a nuclear confrontation, the two sides are unlikely to abandon this approach. Rather, both sides are interested in continuing the work on elaboration and implementation of nuclear CBMs within the agreed framework.
Fears have been expressed about this round of talks being overshadowed by the Indo-US nuclear pact signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent US visit. Although the Indo-US nuclear pact is for civilian purposes, Pakistan is apprehensive that it might also relate to military cooperation, tilting the strategic balance in South Asia in India’s favor.
CBMs are among the eight issues under India-Pakistan composite dialogue process. Talks on nuclear CBMs will be followed by talks on conventional CBMs from Aug. 8. During these talks, Dalip Sinha, joint secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, will lead the Indian side, while Haider will head the Pakistani delegation.
On the cards are upgradation of the existing hotlines between the DGMOs and establishment of a hotline between foreign secretaries of the two countries. This is one of the issues, which both countries have earlier agreed on and need to move toward its implementation. These measures are intended to prevent misunderstanding and reduce risks relevant to nuclear issues.
Nuclear and conventional CBMs form a part of the composite dialogue process, which has eight issues on the agenda.
During their meeting on Aug. 9 and 10, Indian and Pakistani commerce secretaries are to discuss economic and commercial cooperation. They will also co-chair a meeting of the joint study group. These would be followed by discussions on terrorism and drug trafficking at the home secretary level on Aug. 29 and 30.
Following the conclusion of expert-level talks on eight issues, foreign secretaries of the two countries will meet in October.
