Friends or Foe !
Pakistan and India diplomatic dealings tangled in past when subcontinent shaped into Pakistan and India. Red cliff was judicial one ,but lack any judicial attribute . Ferooz pur and Junagad districts were given to India ,which provided route towards Kashmir .Three wars were fought between two countries which never gave them a single chance of good relationship. Though , Shimla ,Agra and Lahore summit were good moves ,but Siachen conflict further strained the relations . Kargil war , Samjhoota Express bombing and Mumbai attacks deteriorated relations .
Seeds of conflict
- Junagadh dispute(Run of Kusch area ;maritime border dispute ).
- Kashmir dispute(Three major wars ).
- Siachen Glacier.
- Water disputes.
- Afghanistan and Baluchistan .
- 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings.
- 2008 Mumbai attacks.
- Fugitives issues .
Since from a very long time ,both countries distanced each other as hostile neighbors. During Musharaf`s tenure ,efforts have been made for friendly relations . 2004 Composite dialogue has been initiated as a posture of good will . But Mumbai incident made all steps in vain for the betterment of relations .
The Process of dialogue .
Normalization in relations has been started since 2004 , and during the PPP led government relations boomed for the first time .Apparently ,it seems both countries are friends ; Pakistan declared that it will grant MFN status to India and India will vote for Pakistan in EU regarding trade concession .
Presidential meetings in Delhi , cricket diplomacy , army to army and journalist to journalist contacts have been boomed .Joint secretary and foreign ministers meetings held which smoothened a road of good will .But seeds of enmity can be seen when India premier conditioned its meeting till Pakistan will declare Haqqani-network as terrorist organization .
- Restrictive Visa regime .
- strategic dialogue .
- Singing and Cooking competitions .
- Trade road map.
- LoC trade
- Siachin Issue is not issue at all .
India believe in conditional diplomacy being South-Asian giant after China. It wants to dictate its own term . Though, Pakistan has liberalized its diplomatic relations with all regional neighbors. For example, Islamabad has supported Iran in case of Jandollah `s issue , seek apology for creating unrest in bordering region of China ; Xinjiang .But Pakistan is treating each neighbors on equal basis .
Many Pakistan`s media intellectuals have supported we should accept each and every term of India ,because we also accepted the same in case of USA. India has liberalized only Visa regime regarding trade whereas , no journalistic and common man Visa has been issued. This will provide opportunity to Indian`s big corporates to invest and monopolize Pakistan`s trade unions .
But , we do not want to become hostage of past ,that statement has been issued by foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar . Forty years policy has been changed and we have to overlook convergences rather then on divergences ; this view is clearly manifested. Similar views have been expressed by S.M,Chrishna ,FM of India .But during visit to Pakistan , S.M. Chrishna did not like to be interviewed ,whereas our FM, Kkar has given more then 15 interviews showing imbalance equation of information flow .
India and Pakistan “should have a trade map in the next three years,” said S. M. Muneer, the Vice Chairman of MCB Bank; he dreams of “transforming our region into a Union,” and understands the need to nurture and integrate small enterprises into the bilateral engagement. Most others talked of the common problems of energy and water scarcity, of rotting grain and lack of storage capacity, of the need to lower the cost and processes of doing business, and of political corruption and cronyism. They also talked of common strengths and potential – a youthful population, a rising middle class, geographic location, agriculture and agro-industry potential, a strengthening federation, and the need to create new models of business and of development. Though such sentiments are repeated frequently, the gap in economic growth and vitality between India and Pakistan widens visibly.
The obvious immediate winners are the cement and sugar industries, both of which Pakistan has a surplus of and India a shortage of, and which can be transported at low-cost across the border. India has a growing agriculture and automobile industry, which Pakistan needs. Pakistan wants to learn India's ICT skills, and India can leverage Pakistan's textile manufacturing expertise and global market reach. India-Pakistan trade, currently at $2.5 billion, can reach $20 billion over the next five years, said Asrar Raouf, a senior member of Pakistanis Federal Board of Revenue.
The Siachen Issue .
The roots of the conflict over Siachen (the place of roses) lie in the non-demarcations on the western side on the map beyond NJ9842. The 1949 Karachi agreement and the 1972 Simla agreement presumed that it was not feasible for human habitation to survive north of NJ9842. Piror to 1984 neither India nor Pakistan had any permanent presence in the area.
Somewhere in 1984, India did the ‘Kargil in reverse’ on Pakistan. Till then, Siachen had remained an undemarcated region because of its impassibility and the Line of Control (LOC) stopped considerably short. Most mountaineering expeditions to the region were routed through the Pakistani territories. Fearful that Pakistan might move into the area and occupy some vantage peaks, India pre-empted to do exactly the same and set into place the longest conflict at the highest altitudes in the history of warfare. Trust South Asia to indulge in platitudes of unmatchable quality even when fighting wars.
The area is in the phase of strategic and tactical stagnation, with the 70 Kms long glacier under the arrogated control of India. Where man or beast feared to tread, there are now oil pipelines and logistics tracks that criss-cross the region., the two sides recommend to their officialdom a joint recording of the respective force positions along the Saltoro Ridge and those occupied by Pakistan below that ridge and exchange such records. Subsequently, the region must be demilitarized under a verifiable regime and reverted to its status of 1984-ante.
If earlier India insisted on authenticating the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), their revised stance is to convert the AGPL into an extended LOC. This is India's maximality position. A negotiated settlement in the longer term interest of saving the two societies from turmoil will indeed be via media. The group's recommendations based on a common understanding of the underlying determinants and vulnerabilities suggest that via media. The Pakistanis pointed to an implicit authentication of the AGPL when positions are recorded and exchanged.
The sir creek boundary and matter of fugitives .
According to dialogues between India and Pakistan sources on Siachen might take place in second week of April in New Delhi.According to sources, the interim government may change the schedule of the dialogue for settlement of the aforesaid issue. Both the countries are consistent on their stances regarding the Siachen issue.India wants to tackle the Sir Creak issue before the issue of Siachen but at the same time it would not like to retreat from its position of 1984 at any cost while Pakistan would like to go back on the position where it existed before 1884.This is the main reason behind the issue which has become a bone of contention between the two countries. That is why both of them can’t succeed in tackling it despite their aspirations.
Many captives have been released who crossed the boundary of Run of kuch , fishermen become victim of the harsh policies and stances adopted by governments. They have to remain in prison for years. India and Pakistan ,both claimed over this area.Most of the Illegal Indian trade held through this route and which is without custom charges . This is also infiltration of government revenue which is lost by corruption .
Pakistan and India strategic dialogue .
The list of core issues between two states is nearly similar to Pak-US . India has emphasized issues of its own interests and put divergences behind . The main goal of India is to become a gateway for trade and access to the Caspian resources . Ironically , without solving issue trade would not be bolstered further . The same fact have been evident when Visa regime have been signed . After a few months later , India violated the GLoC of Kasmir and reverted its stances back .It might be due to Pakistan have given Gawader Port to China and IP is under construction . Earlier , china`s own bank has denied any kind of aid regarding pipeline construction and Pakistan will have to pay 200 million USD per day as a charge . The list of issues which are under discussion is given below ;
- Health
- Education and science
- Trade
- Agriculture
- Information
- Tourism
- Climate change
- Kasmir Issue
- Water dispute
- Boundary disputes of Sir creek and Siachen
Though , India has constructed wall between borders .The border between India and Pakistan is one of the most volatile on the planetWalls, barbed wire fences and barricades stretch almost half the 2,900km (1,800 mile) boundary line. Delhi has said it intends to extend the barrier along almost the whole border. At the end of the 1980s, India began erecting barriers in the states of Punjab and Rajastan, saying they needed to combat terrorism. An additional cause of tension is the use of barbed wire fences combined with mines and other high-tech devices along almost all of the so-called "Line of Control", the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
In the end , both countries have moved towards good ways ,but could not go further without resolution of issues .Without resolution of issues ,our diplomacy is a failure indeed .And It clearly shows we can not solve issues on table . While peace and resolution of issues is necessary for both countries
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