More unilateral Indian gestures on the way

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, JULY 8. Despite mixed signals from across the border, India is determined to sustain a positive approach to the impending talks with Pakistan, well-placed sources in the Government said here today.

As part of the effort to move the relationship with Pakistan in a constructive direction, India is likely to announce an additional set of unilateral measures and proposals for confidence-building. Government officials are tightlipped about the details of the new initiative which could be made public as early as tomorrow.

But there are indications that the new steps might be related to easing travel restrictions between the two countries. It is not known whether these ideas would also make it easy for people of the divided Jammu and Kashmir to travel across the intensely- militarised Line of Control (LoC).

The latest initiative follows the recent unilateral steps by India aimed at deepening educational exchanges, trade, and people-to-people contact between the countries. The Government had also declared its intent of seeking more nuclear and military confidence-building measures with Pakistan last week.

Contacts are likely to be made at the earliest with the Pakistani Government - through diplomatic channels - to communicate India's interest in talks about strengthening peace and stability along the border, and nuclear issues. The unilateral steps announced by India so far are said to be part of a ``well-conceived package'' of measures aimed at improving bilateral relations.

Curbs on travel may go

Given the unbelievable cussedness to which citizens of India and Pakistan are subjected to while going across the border, it should not be difficult to inject some decency into travel between the nations. Instead of going through the negotiating route, which could be as cussed and time-consuming, India is signalling its readiness to ease travel restrictions unilaterally without immediate reciprocation from Pakistan.

These measures could involve simpler procedures for getting Indian visas, greater exemption from the requirement of reporting to the police and easier access to consular facilities for more Pakistani citizens.

Given the large number of divided families in India and Pakistan, any liberalisation of travel formalities - unilateral or bilateral - is likely to be greeted with considerable relief across the border.

It remains to be seen whether the initiative will also include bolder steps on easing travel for Kashmiris across the LoC. Any specific humanitarian gestures in relation to the disputed State should also address Gen. Musharraf's demand for greater focus on Kashmir.

The new initiative appears to be part of a conscious strategy of avoiding public acrimony on Kashmir that could further ``vitiate the atmosphere'' on the eve of the Agra summit. India also hopes its unilateral steps will keep the focus on steering the relationship forward.

For `broad' ties

Sources in the Government said the unilateral initiatives were not aimed at drawing attention away from the Kashmir dispute, as many in Islamabad suspect. India, they said, was ready to engage Pakistan in a substantive discussion on the Kashmir dispute, but the Government wanted to locate it within a broader conversation between the two leaders on the ``entirety of the relationship''.

Gen. Musharraf argues that issues such as trade and humanitarian measures are secondary to the Kashmir dispute. Progress on commerce and people-to-people contacts can follow only after there is movement on the Kashmir question, he insists.

India emphasises that all issues, including Kashmir, are important. Instead of positing a ``sequential progress'' starting with Kashmir as Pakistan does, New Delhi is looking for ``simultaneous movement'' across a broad front of bilateral relations.

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