Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  India’s likely attendance at Indus meet seen as step to re-engage Pakistan
BackBack

India’s likely attendance at Indus meet seen as step to re-engage Pakistan

Indian officials have stressed that the country agreeing to attend the Indus water commissioners' talks doesn't mean resumption of bilateral dialogue

File photo of the Chenab river, waters of which are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. India had indicated a suspension of the water commissioners’ talks after a terrorist attack in Uri on 18 September killed 19 soldiers. Photo: HTPremium
File photo of the Chenab river, waters of which are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. India had indicated a suspension of the water commissioners’ talks after a terrorist attack in Uri on 18 September killed 19 soldiers. Photo: HT

New Delhi: India signalling its willingness to attend a meeting of Indus water commissioners in Lahore later this month could be an indication that the two countries were ready to start re-engaging after a year of acrimony, say analysts.

Any movement forward will, however, depend on Pakistan stemming the flow of terrorists into India this summer as well as honouring a 2003 ceasefire pact, often violated to give militants the cover of fire as they sneak across the border, the analysts say.

To be sure, the resumption of peace talks between India and Pakistan—suspended since 2013 —is nowhere on the horizon yet. Indian officials have stressed that India agreeing to attend the Indus water commissioners’ talks in no way means the recommencement of bilateral dialogue.

New Delhi’s acceptance of an invitation to the Lahore meeting comes days after the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or Saarc, got a new secretary general from Pakistan—veteran diplomat Amjad Hussain Sial. India, the biggest country in the grouping, had previously cited procedural issues to seemingly block Sial’s appointment.

Taken together, “these seem steps to normalise relations with Pakistan though starting an engagement through dialogue is far away at this point," said Lalit Mansingh, former foreign secretary.

India had indicated a suspension of the water commissioners’ talks after a terrorist attack in Uri on 18 September killed 19 soldiers. New Delhi also embarked on a campaign to highlight Pakistan’s role in fomenting terrorism against it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying “blood and water cannot flow together".

Modi also described Pakistan as the “mother ship of terrorism" at a summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Goa in October.

“India had previously come to the conclusion that (Pakistan) Prime minister Nawaz Sharif could not deliver on the promises he made," said Mansingh.

However, New Delhi has been carefully evaluating some recent developments in Pakistan, Mansingh said referring to a major new Pakistan-wide operation to crack down on terrorism in the wake of a string of terrorist attacks in February. The operation named Radd-ul-Fasaad, or ‘Elimination of Discord,’ has been launched to “eliminate the menace of terrorism."

This was preceded by Pakistan putting under house arrest terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, who India says is the mastermind behind the Mumbai terrorist attack in November 2008 that killed 166 people. It is unclear why Pakistan detained Saeed in January—with a Pakistani court having set him free for lack of evidence after a brief detention for the 2008 Mumbai attack in 2009 due to international pressure.

Though there have been sporadic attacks in Kashmir, there have been no major strikes in India since the Nagrota attack in November when terrorists targeted the residential quarters of an army garrison.

ALSO READ | Gunbattle in Jammu & Kashmir’s Tral kills three, including two militants

“If we conclude that the new Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa is more interested in eliminating terrorists acting against India, then India is likely to review its approach vis-a-vis Pakistan," Mansingh said.

The test of Pakistan’s sincerity would come in the summer, when infiltration of militants into Kashmir peaks, he added.

Dilip Sinha, a former joint secretary dealing with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the Indian foreign ministry, echoed the view. The proof of change in Pakistan’s strategy vis-a-vis India would rest on whether Pakistan honours the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India, he said, noting that violations took place when Pakistan tried to push in militants into India.

This and “Pakistan’s attempts to fund the militancy in Kashmir" would be tests to see whether Islamabad had changed tack on not, Sinha said.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 05 Mar 2017, 11:16 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App