Zardari-Singh meeting

The much anticipated meeting - precisely speaking, a getting to know encounter - between the Pakistan President and the Indian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the UN summit took place on Thursday with Asif Ali Zardari turning on a charm offensive.
Following a warm handshake and a hug, he described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the "father of modern India" - a description that may have flattered Dr Singh but is sure to have raised many eyebrows within India. On a substantive level, the two leaders issued a joint statement to put the stalled peace process back on track, resolving also to address some fresh issues of contention such as LoC cease-fire violations, water dispute over stoppage of Chenab River flows, and India's casting of suspicion on Pakistan for the car bomb attack last July on its Kabul embassy that left 47 people dead.
There is much welcome progress on trade. The two sides have decided to open up four trade routes, two between Pakistan and India and as many between the two Kashmirs. The cross-LoC trade on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakot road is to begin as early as October 21, while modalities for opening the Skardu-Kargil route are to be discussed soon. They also agreed to open the Wagah-Attari road link to all permissible trade items, and similarly to activate the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail route.
Interestingly, the statement also mentions an agreement on a land route for trade between New Delhi and Kabul. From there they can hope to access markets of the resource-rich Central Asia. This hope, in fact, is believed to be the driving force behind India's willingness to look for some sort of a solution to the Kashmir issue. Increased economic activity on this route would certainly strengthen the constituency in India for peace with Pakistan.
As it is, from the Pakistani perspective, the peace process will be seen to be on the right track only when it has some progress to show on the core issue of conflict, Kashmir's future. President Zardari had only recently said that the people would soon hear good news on Kashmir.
There are some indications that progress is actually being made in that direction. It is interesting to note, for example, the two leaders' assertion that "we have discussed all aspects of our relations - trade, Jammu and Kashmir, [and] we are not afraid of [the] word K." This read together with the agreement that their foreign secretaries would schedule meetings of the fifth round of the Composite Dialogue in the next three months to focus on "deliverables and concrete achievements" does create the expectation that good news may indeed be on the way.
It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Indian side has pledged to resolve the water dispute in accordance with the Indus Water Treaty. Some sections of the media, however, have already started to voice discontent over the part of the joint statement that asks Pakistan to "take severe action against any elements directly or indirectly involved in terrorist acts." Besides, a special meeting of the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism will be held next month "to address mutual concerns, including the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul."
In so doing they tend to ignore two important facts: first that Pakistan has signed agreements, one in January 2004 not to allow its territory to be used for terrorist attacks; and another in September 2006 to establish a joint mechanism for combating terrorism. It must be seen as honouring those commitments. Second, in order that the peace process makes meaningful progress, the two sides must address mutual distrust through a proper mechanism instead of hurling public accusations at one another. Both countries must move forward in a spirit of co-operation rather than confrontation.