Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Giving it another shot” (December 11). The revival of the India-Pakistan dialogue has been as dramatic as the recent instances of bilateral discord. The lessons learnt at Ufa produced the breakthrough in Islamabad. The clincher was the Bangkok meet which produced a joint statement spelling out all issues both sides plan to discuss.
Surely, the NDA will face domestic criticism for resuming talks without definite progress on the Mumbai terror trials in Pakistan. There is no need to give this more importance than it deserves. It is the real acts of cooperation between the two countries that count. For example, when the two face each other in a hockey or cricket match, it is positive rivalry.
Sustained discussions will ultimately produce positive results. Brinkmanship is not the answer in international relations. Diplomacy is a slow-moving process. It must be given a chance.