Making A Difference

A Tango On Three Legs

India's 'reneging' on its New York promises leaves the Pakistan President an angry man<a href=pti_coverage.asp?gid=9 target=_blank> Updates</a>

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A Tango On Three Legs
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saare options saamne layenge, discuss karenge
Agar aap sign kuch kar rahein hain aur dimaag mein kuch aur hai, dil mein kuch aur hai, aur zubaan per kuch aur hai
ki hum kahte rahein baatein hongi aur hum yahaan busein chalaayein aur CBMs karein? Kya yeh practicable hai
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For, Musharraf sees a link between the CBMs and progress on Kashmir. Which link Aziz reiterated on his visit to New Delhi. More important, Musharraf's interaction with Outlook at the Governor's House (see interview) shows he has little hope of the composite dialogue format yielding substantial dividends in double-quick time. The challenge before him, therefore, is: how to push ahead on Kashmir in a "purposeful manner", an agreement he secured in New York.

Ultimately, it's a question of strategy. India feels the composite dialogue format encompassing "peace, security, CBMs" and J&K is the best way forward. It has proposed radical CBMs including bus links and raising the possibility of joint development of tourist places, forest management, cross-border/cross-LoC trade, et al. These suggest rudimentary attributes of a cooperative approach on Kashmir. The Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus is the first of the steps which, if implemented, could open up a range of possibilities that are not at variance with Musharraf's suggestion for a condominium approach.

At the very minimum, Musharraf seems to want a political statement that shows New Delhi is serious about discussing options beyond the rigid red lines it seems to have drawn; and that progress on Kashmir should be in tandem with progress on all other issues. Then there's also the Hurriyat factor.

Musharraf concedes to the pressing need to overcome divisions among the Hurriyat. Obviously, New Delhi can't talk to a badly divided Hurriyat. Musharraf has suggested a Hurriyat Plus approach: others (non-Hurriyat Kashmiri leaders) can also participate in the dialogue but Hurriyat presence is a must. A senior Pakistani source also explains the new difference between a tripartite talk and a triangular talk that might eventually take shape: "We are talking to each other. We will talk to the Hurriyat and you will talk to them too." For Musharraf, the Hurriyat is vital for providing the stamp of approval he needs to sell any Kashmir solution to the Pakistanis. It isn't an immediate concern; he is willing to wait as long as New Delhi holds out the promise of including the Hurriyat in peace talks in the future.

But what is definitely eating into the irrepressible general is Kashmir. As he declared at Avari Hotel, "I have been asking what are the options acceptable for the people of Kashmir. I have not got an answer. Ever. Therefore, I had to set the direction so people know the nuances."

This was a reference to his controversial statement suggesting determination of seven distinct regions of J&K and their ethnic-religious composition—and then deciding upon the status of each region, either joint control or under the UN. And he has his own view about the difficulties, or stumbling blocks, as he calls it. "Stumbling blocks, mere khayal mein, status pe nahin hoga itna. Region pe hoga (in my opinion, won't happen so much on status, but on region). Primary step 1 in discussing options is to define the region. To reach consensus on the region."

Musharraf's motive in sparking off a debate is to enable the various possible solutions to seep into popular consciousness. It's against this backdrop of heightened public awareness that he wants to discuss "options" with New Delhi, hoping the latter too would reciprocate with equal fervour.

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