India-Pakistan: Prospects of peace in sight?

Against the backdrop of uncertain situation in Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal following dismissal of Sher Bahadur Deuba's government by King Gyanandra on February 5, and disturbed political climate in Bangladesh as a result of bomb blasts which took away many precious lives, including that of a distinguished citizen, who was international bureaucrat and former Finance Minister of Bangladesh SAMS Kibria, rapid development of bilateral relations between India and Pakistan is a positive sign indeed. Since the Congress of Sonia Gandhi took power in May, 2004, efforts were made with sincerity to wipe out animosity between the two rivals in South Asia and work towards developing relations for the betterment of the citizens of both countries. The signing of an agreement for opening of bus service between India-held Kashmir's capital Srinagar and Pakistan controlled Azad Kashmir's capital Muzaffarabad has added further dimension in improving bilateral relations between the two nuclear powers.

The decision of opening bus service, which will be effective from April 7, has been received with jubilation by the people on both sides of LoC. The distance between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad is about 170 miles, but a bus service remained absent for about five decades. If the service begins as scheduled, it will be reuniting thousands of families divided by a ceasefire line. At a press conference India's Foreign Minister Natwar Singh had said in Islamabad (February 16) that the opening of bus service was "a big step forward in the bilateral peace-process." Another bus service would start between Amritsar in India and Lahore in Pakistan.

India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told the news media that while the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad was an important development, it does not change India's position on the Kashmir issue. "It was a humanitarian procedure that we have adopted." Pakistan's foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri at a press conference stated that the bus service agreement was a victory for sanity. Whatever might be the interpretation, it has significant implication in the long run. Series of decisions were taken by both the countries for improving bilateral relations, but none of these implemented as of now because of a handful of people, who perhaps do not want to see peace between the two neighbours. Interesting enough to note is that India's BJP, which in fact had initiated the peace process, has opposed the opening of bus service as they think that would "allow terrorists to infiltrate the valley" while Pakistan's Jamaat-i-Islam perceives it "as a ploy to put the Kashmir dispute on the back burner.

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Rail link would also be established between the two countries by October this year. Pakistan also agreed to provide facilities to establish gas pipeline from Turkmenistan via Iran and Pakistan to India. This decision of Pakistan will go a long way in establishing stable relationship. These are positive developments indeed following the first meeting between their respective Foreign Secretaries in New Delhi on 30 June last year.

That bilateral meeting was preceded by another Water Resources Secretary level meeting in New Delhi on the contentious issue of hydro electric power project on Chenab River, which reportedly affects supply of waters to Pakistan. This project has caused misgiving in Pakistan on violation of Indus treaty agreement between the two countries signed in 1960. The water dispute is nearly as old as the Kashmir problem. The positive trend of the talks has further been strengthened by the comments of Commerce Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Srinagar that continued violence in Indian Kashmir would not derail peace process between India and Pakistan.

Over and above, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to the nation, that his government was determined to improve bilateral relations between the two countries. India's Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was Commerce Minister, said that four wars had been fought but nothing came out of that. Therefore, India decided to adopt conciliatory attitude.

The decision of Pakistan government to send its cricket team to play series of matches with India was welcomed by India. Pakistan team would play for seven weeks in India. Several hundred Pakistanis have arrived in India to witness the cricket matches, which would enhance people to people relations gradually in an effort to replace hatred and suspicion with friendship and cooperation.

The peace process, time and again, has been derailed on this or that grounds. Both India and Pakistan have fought four wars since their independence from Britain in1947 and are still engaged in 58 years old conflict over the Himalayan valley of Kashmir. According to one estimate, more than 65,000 people have lost their lives since 1980 in the conflict over Kashmir. Given the goodwill, political sagacity, acumen and farsightedness any dispute or conflict could be resolved. Leaders in both countries must have realised their follies in having bad neighbourly relations. If we go by the words of Pranab Mukherjee, it is expected that peace would prevail in the trouble torn area in not too long a period.

Mohammad Amjad Hossain, a former diplomat, now resides in Virginia, USA.