The Hindu : The art of avoiding contact

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 19, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

The art of avoiding contact

By C. Raja Mohan

Will they avoid all eye contact with their Pakistani counterparts? That will become the question in Kathmandu this week as the Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, and the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, participate in a conference of South Asian senior officials and Ministers.

The focus of the media coverage at the meeting of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Kathmandu is likely to be riveted on the body language between the diplomats from India and Pakistan. The rest of the SAARC and its agenda would seem of little consequence to anyone.

With New Delhi ruling out any engagement with Islamabad until cross-border terrorism comes to an end, the field is open for diplomatic one-upmanship from the Pakistani side. At the SAARC summit in January in Kathmandu, the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, finished his speech and walked straight to a surprised Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and shook hands with him. The audience erupted in a thunderous applause. India has pushed the avoidance of contact with Pakistan at multilateral conferences to an extreme point and given the upper hand to Pakistan in public diplomacy.

As a result, every little contact and conversation in the corridors between officials and Ministers from both sides becomes a media event. And every other leader in SAARC wants to have a shot at "mediation'' by bringing the two sides together.

Is this really worth it? Setting terms for formal negotiations with Pakistan might indeed be a useful stratagem on the part of India. But avoiding all informal communication with an adversary makes little sense.

Refusing a formal dialogue with Pakistan does that necessarily mean India should avoid even eye contact? Would India be really yielding on its basic position if Mr. Sibal has a cup of tea with the new Pak Foreign Secretary,

Riaz Khokkar, or Mr. Sinha chats in front of the cameras with the Pakistan Minister of State, Inam-ul Haq? Would a little diplomatic civility hurt India?

If Mr. Sibal and Mr. Sinha want to take the question of talks with Pakistan off the front pages, the best course for them might lie in a quick exchange of pleasantries and a brief conversation at the first opportunity. For India, staying consistent with a tough message to Islamabad through open informal contact might be smarter than looking the other way.

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It is not very often that serious business gets transacted at multilateral conferences. And least of all at SAARC. But international settings are often a good vehicle for a nation like India to communicate its foreign policy vision to a larger audience. The Kathmandu meeting gives a major opportunity for Mr. Sinha to unveil his own ideas on regional cooperation. He should grab it with both hands.

Having chosen to focus on the neighbourhood, travelled to Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, and slated bilateral meetings in Nepal and Bangladesh, Mr. Sinha could convey India's determination to make South Asian regionalism a success. He could also unveil a road map to shared prosperity in the region, with Pakistan if possible and without it if necessary. Pakistan has little interest in making SAARC a success and wants to keep the focus on Indo-Pak. tensions. Instead of getting into an argument with Pakistan on bilateral issues, Mr. Sinha should address the concerns of the smaller nations of SAARC who are looking to India to lead the region towards faster economic integration.

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After the SAARC meeting, Mr. Sinha stays on in Kathmandu for bilateral discussions with the leaders of Nepal. As Nepal passes through a major national crisis, Mr. Sinha must demonstrate India's commitment to assist it in all possible ways. The extended war against Maoist insurgency has kept the tourists, a major source of national income, out of the kingdom. Increased expenditure on security has added to the economic woes of Nepal. It might make sense for Mr. Sinha to drop the punitive duties it has imposed on imports of certain commodities from Nepal in the recent months. As an experienced economic hand, Mr. Sinha could also think aloud with his Nepali colleagues about an economic strategy for the kingdom that will bring industry and jobs to Nepal on a sustainable basis.

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Staying with Nepal, is it necessary for India to always send ageing ambassadors to Kathmandu? With the unfortunate death of the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, I.P. Singh, New Delhi will now have to look for a quick replacement. Why not send a younger foreign service officer-at the level of a senior joint secretary-to take charge of the mission in Nepal? Given the new challenges facing Indo-Nepalese relations, there is crying need for some creativity and dynamism in modernising them.

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