Indo-Pak talks may fall through

There are definite signs of the third round of Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks on Kashmir falling through, with Pakistan failing to respond to the dates that India put forward.

Foreign Secretary K Raghunath and his Pakistani counterpart Shamshad Ahmed were scheduled to hold the bilateral dialogue later this month in New Delhi.

An external affairs ministry spokesperson told Rediff On The NeT that India had suggested September 18 and 19 or September 22 and 23 as possible dates for holding the talks. "But we have not received any communication from Islamabad to date. So we cannot be sure whether the dialogue will take place this month," he said.

MEA sources said Pakistan's refusal to respond apparently stems from two factors. One, Islamabad is yet to decide whether to go ahead with the peace mission without India first agreeing to its demand to set up a joint working group for the Kashmir issue. Two, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief would rather the talks did not take place before his proposed meeting with United States President Bill Clinton in New York.

Pakistan's effort is to internationalise the Kashmir issue when Sharif meets Clinton on September 22, sources added.

"The cold response proves they (Pakistan) want the dialogue only after Sharief-Clinton meet," an official said. So, he added, the negotiations would have to be scheduled afterwards -- possibly in the first week of October.

India and Pakistan had resumed the secretary-level talks in March in New Delhi, and later in June in Islamabad, after a break of more than three years. The then Indian foreign secretary Salman Haider and counterpart Ahmed had identified eight "outstanding issues of concern to both sides" -- peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, the Wullar barrage project and Tulbul navigation project, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and commercial cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields.

Among these, peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir were given top priority and were to be dealt with by the secretaries themselves who, in addition, would also co-ordinate and monitor joint working groups for the other issues.

But now, Pakistan is insisting that since Kashmir is central to the success of the dialogue, a joint working group should be constituted to find a meaningful settlement.

However, Haider, who led the Indian diplomats in March and June, says there was no such agreement between the two countries.

"We had clearly clarified that peace and security including confidence building measures and Jammu and Kashmir would be dealt with only at the foreign secretary level," Haider told Rediff On The NeT, "It is strange that Pakistan is now insisting on such a group."

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will also meet Clinton in New York in a fortnight's time. Analysts believe Gujral and Sharief's US visit might send the premiers back to the negotiation table.

However, it remains to be seen whether the premiers will meet each other in the US -- while Gujral says he is not 'opposed' to such an encounter, Sharief has not disclosed his plans.

Salman Haider will appear on the Rediff Chat on Friday, September 12, 2000 hours IST (1030 hours EDT) to discuss these and other issues.

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