Friendly visits must be kept on hold for now
For peaceniks on both sides of the India-Pakistan border, Mr Nawaz Sharif's return to power in Islamabad has ushered in a season of good cheer. Congratulatory letters and invitations have been flowing thick and fast and there is talk of a new era in bilateral ties. While there is no need to dismiss all of it as a mirage viewed through rose-tinted glasses, it is nonetheless imperative to take a considered and cautionary approach to the developments in Pakistan. It is against this backdrop that reports coming out of South Block, indicating that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to take up Mr Sharif's invitation to attend his swearing-in ceremony later this month, must be viewed. New Delhi must not rush into orchestrating some sort of a ‘historic' prime ministerial visit to Islamabad for several reasons. First, given the complexity of the India-Pakistan relationship, groundwork has to be done for a trip such as this to be truly successful and not just be a photo-op for public consumption. Second, while Mr Sharif's enthusiasm to improve bilateral ties is well-taken, India, on its part, must insist that the incoming Prime Minister put certain deliverables on the table, before New Delhi makes any major concessions.
Primary among these should be visible progress in the 26/11 terror attack case that, for all practical purposes, has a hit a dead end in Pakistan. Mr Sharif has said to the media that Islamabad will share its evidence on the Mumbai terror attack with New Delhi. That would make for a good beginning if only he can implement it. Such promises were made by the earlier regime too. In fact, soon after the 26/11 attack in 2008, President Asif Ali Zardari had said that the ISI chief would visit India as part of a tentative joint investigation. However, that plan was shelved immediately afterwards following a backlash from radical elements there. Not just that, Islamabad repeatedly snubbed New Delhi over the piles of evidence that the latter despatched to demonstrate the role of Pakistani elements in the terrible attack. Mr Sharif has vowed that he will not allow terror to be exported from Pakistani soil. Welcome as this is, India cannot take it at face value. After all, General Pervez Musharraf had also offered similar assurances as President, and he was lavishly hosted and trusted by India. But it is for all to see what came of those empty words. Anti-India terror camps still flourish in Pakistan and there has been little respite from cross-border infiltration, which continues unabated and with the active support of the Pakistani Army. No leader from across the border has shown the courage to address the issue and ask the terror-breeding camps to pack up or face the music. It is nobody's case that Mr Sharif can turn many of these things around overnight, as, even with the best of intentions,he will need time and effort to do so. However, a start has to be made at some point, and India must wait for Mr Sharif to at least set the ball rolling before it begins the celebration. It will help matters if, for instance, Mr Sharif turns the screws on one of the key materminds of 26/11, Hafiz Saeed, who not only moves about freely in Pakistan but is also continuously engaged in spewing venom against India. It will be a good test as any of Mr Sharif’s commitment to peace.