Towards a summit of friendship

THE DIPLOMATIC COUNTDOWN to the India-Pakistan summit, now scheduled for July 14-16 in Agra, has begun on a conspicuously contentious note during a sensitive cross-border telephone conversation. Before assuming Pakistan's highest constitutional position of President on Wednesday, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who retains his functional status as Chief Executive, complained to the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, about the current political atmosphere on the bilateral front in the specific context of their prospective meeting. The complaint was a sequel to the reported observations by Mr. Vajpayee himself that the question of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would figure in his proposed talks with Gen. Musharraf. Mr. Vajpayee's reported hint of this magnitude should, of course, be seen in the light of New Delhi's known constitutional affirmation that the entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir belongs to India. Yet, if Gen. Musharraf has felt constrained to urge Mr. Vajpayee to help create a congenial climate of cordiality for their planned consultations, the reason can be traced to the deeply tangled history of bilateral relations. Now, in reassuring Pakistan in some way or other about the historic potential of the imminent bilateral parleys at the highest level, India can usefully combine some imaginative flexibility towards Pakistan's sensitivity with a creative firmness of diplomatic purpose. It is indeed in the larger interests of both India and Pakistan to recognise that diplomatic restraint and political candour can go together.

With Gen. Musharraf having cheerfully accepted Mr. Vajpayee's recent initiative for talks, Pakistan's leader is expected to be doubly conscious of the consequences of a setback, should it occur, on the path to the Agra summit itself. To say this is not to place the onus entirely upon Gen. Musharraf for fostering a sustainable pre-summit spirit of mutual tolerance. Yet, as Pakistan's unelected leader with some political constraints of image and initiatives at home as also on the international stage, Gen. Musharraf may find himself under more pressure than that endured by Mr. Vajpayee. On the Indian side, the Prime Minister's essential task is to keep in constant focus the vision of a big picture that he himself has raised. It was he who extended a highly evocative invitation to Gen. Musharraf for parleys on how to carve a ``high road to peace'' across the bilateral landscape. These words may imply an inspirational mood as also a diplomatic signpost for the future. As neighbours with an almost fractured spirit of co-existence, the leaders of India and Pakistan still seem unable to refrain from stating their maximalist demands ahead of next month's summit. However, they will be well advised to observe utmost restraint so that the fragile hopes of the people on either side are not destroyed in the delicate `boost' phase of summit-preparations.

It is a good sign of sorts that the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, is reported to have characterised the anticipated Agra summit as a moment of hope. This remark, which has gained currency during his current visit to the U.S., marks a welcome departure from some of his earlier comments that troubled the Indian political establishment in the wake of Mr. Vajpayee's recent summit initiative. No less important is Gen. Musharraf's parallel effort to match Mr. Vajpayee in wanting to change the India-Pakistan history for mutual benefit. However, the leaders on both sides of the psychological divide have fallen victim to the magnetic appeal of their traditional positions even while seeking to strike postures of innovative friendship. The reason is not far to seek. The history of events that largely nullified the bilateral gains of the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration may have something to do with this grim reality. Yet, it is now entirely up to the present leaders of India and Pakistan to seize the latest opportunity. The international community, notably the United States, is watching with considerable positive interest.

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