A step forward

In these past weeks,while the Pakistani cabinet has cleared the way for the grant of MFN status to India,India has supported Pakistan in its successful bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council membership and stood out of Islamabad’s way as it sought greater access to EU markets. Against this backdrop,there was a noticeable warmth of tone and substance to the conversation Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart,Yousuf Raza Gilani,had on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in the Maldives. The pledge to write a “new chapter” in bilateral relations and to resume dialogue on “all issues” is offered as a sign of the subcontinental neighbours overcoming the difficulties encountered since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Nevertheless,unresolved issues still stand out. The matter of the Mumbai attacks itself is a glaring one,which Dr Singh rightly emphasised. The Pakistani proposal to send a judicial commission to work on 26/11 awaits India’s response,but Dr Singh’s stated regard for Gilani as “a man of peace” will not find a wider resonance till the Pakistan government actually delivers.

Experience shows that while optimism over movement in India-Pakistan relations can be especially fragile,India has no better option than to keep working on engaging as many entities in Pakistan as it can so as to deepen their stake in normalisation of bilateral relations. Delhi,therefore,has to seize every opportunity to move forward,and the window offered by the MFN issue is important. Delhi’s decision on preferential trade with Pakistan is wise,and it must act on non-tariff barriers as well. Talk of a new chapter in India-Pakistan history is always welcome,but it must be shown to be credible. India and Pakistan have negotiated on all issues of mutual concern since 2004,and the relationship has shown itself time and again to be accident-prone. If there is political will,some agreements can be clinched. But opportunities for advancing relations can quite easily slip away.

In any case,it is not in India’s interests to play the percentage game — indeed,it does not have the option to wait it out till more tranquil circumstances obtain. With the clock winding down towards the eventual withdrawal of most US troops from Afghanistan,this is a particularly fraught time in India’s near west. It must welcome any positive development that strengthens elements within Pakistan’s complex power structure invested in political transformation for greater stability and prosperity.