Saturday, May 03, 2003
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By Amit Baruah
Mr. Bhatty's attention was drawn to the specific reference in Mr. Vajpayee's statement that spoke of a return of High Commissioner to Islamabad and the restoration of civil aviation links; both on a reciprocal basis. The meeting is seen as significant as this is the first, publicised meeting between officials of the two sides following Monday's telephone conversation between the two Prime Ministers. It is a sign that diplomatic ties between the two countries are returning to normal once again. As far as return of a High Commissioner to Islamabad is concerned, a particular officer, Harsh Bhasin, had been identified some time ago as a possible candidate to take up the job. However, a final decision has not been taken on who will go there. In a related development, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, telephoned the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, and informed him of Mr. Vajpayee's statement. Mr. Sinha, the Foreign Office spokesman said, shared with Mr. Straw the Government's thinking on the statement. Mr. Straw, warmly welcomed the Prime Minister's statement and remarked that Mr. Vajpayee had shown great "statesmanship". Mr. Sinha also spoke to the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, and was scheduled to telephone the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin. Official sources told this correspondent that the Prime Minister's remarks in the Rajya Sabha were self-explanatory. It was clear that Mr. Vajpayee had taken the plunge in favour of one final effort at dialogue with Pakistan. They pointed to the repeated references to terrorism in the Prime Minister's speech — an indicator while the move forward had begun — India remained concerned about the impact of the forces of terrorism. Mr. Vajpayee left none in doubt that he had taken on a heavy responsibility and there was need to take every step in the process of re-engagement with care. The Prime Minister's statement on the "final effort" is clearly aimed at Pakistan — that this effort should not be allowed to go waste. While there can be difference of opinion on what led to the "failure" in Agra, there is no dispute that the Pakistani Army was sitting in Kargil as Mr. Vajpayee spoke to his then interlocutor, Nawaz Sharif, in Lahore. Mr. Vajpayee has both been stern and conciliatory — a sign that he has to maintain a delicate balance as the process unfolds. Even as he spoke about his hopes and fears, he did not make any reference to the possibility of high-level meetings between the two leaderships. It is an indication that a different tack will be used after the high-level contacts at Lahore and Agra. While today's steps are more in the nature of undoing the damage that had been done to the links and relations between the two countries, picking up the threads of dialogue at the level of officials will be the possible next step.
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