Pakistan and India are continuing the peace process which was started four years ago. The March 13th meeting in Islamabad is being called the fourth “composite dialogue”. The third took place last November after the July train bombing in Mumbai disrupted the continuity of previous talks. There is much hope for progress at this time.
One good sign is the increased high-level activity between the two nations. Pakistani officials recently seen out-and-about in India include Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri, Information Minister Tariq Azeem, and former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Indian officials who have made their way to the Pakistani side of the border include Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Extra Secretary K.C. Singh.
There are many less than high-level yet still important Indo-Pak meetings. These would include Indians doctors attending the South Asian Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists March 8th to 10th in Lahore, Pakistan. Also, highly quiet negotiations between the two countries have brought about the highly publicized announcements last week of a joint oil pipeline project. On the cultural side, Salman Ahmed, called the Bono of Pakistan, performed in New Delhi on February 24th as part of his campaign to bring the message to citizens of both countries, “Coexist”.
Hope also sprang anew at a recent meeting of the Pakistan-India Citizens Friendship Forum in Karachi. The guest of honor was Satyabrata Pal, the current Indian High Commissioner and former Foreign Secretary.
While the peace talks advance, there are bound to be disagreements. However, “honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress,” according to Mohandas Gandhi, a sage for both sides.
There can be no denying that peace is just around the corner when a Pakistani can call the Indian High Commissioner, a real Pal. The rest of us have to call him “Mister Pal”.
Published by East West Services, Inc.
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