14 Jun 2009
NEW DELHI: In the run-up to the first summit-level handshake between Manmohan Singh and Asif Zardari in Yekaterinburg, India's envoy to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal met Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik on Saturday to discuss Pakistani investigations into 26/11 attacks.
While PM and Zardari will certainly meet in Russia, it may be a while before actual dialogue is resumed. Sources said this particular meeting would be in the nature of a breaking the ice. Notwithstanding the PM's desire to start talks or US' 'advice' to India, it will need some substantive steps by Pakistan. Despite declaring it wanted talks with Pakistan, India is not convinced about Pakistan's bonafides in tackling terror.
In an interview to a private TV channel, foreign minister S M Krishna said, "The whole approach of Pakistan has become debatable in as far as terror and attacking terror is concerned."
Krishna added, "We are hoping that Pakistan sees the path of reason and they would live upto what we expect them to do. Then perhaps it becomes smoother for any dialogue to be meaningful. There should be a very conducive atmosphere and that is what we are trying to create."
Sabharwal on Saturday raised the issue of release of LeT amir, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed with the Pakistan interior minister. Krishna stressed the importance of Saeed. "We haven't heard anything from Pakistan about the appeal that they are supposed to make in a higher court of law. The very release of a known terrorist who was instrumental and masterminded the terrorist attack on India on 26/11 has certainly created doubts in us about the sincerity of Pakistan in dismantling the terror instrumentalities that have come up on the soil of Pakistan."
Malik for his part, told Sabharwal that Pakistan was committed to bringing 26/11 perpetrators to justice and India should cooperate with it in the probe. While Malik said they were trying to appeal the release of Saeed, experts point out that this may be easier said than done. Pakistan would have to reframe the charge-sheet, specifically naming Saeed as an accused in the Mumbai attacks, which Pakistan is unwilling to do, that gives India cause for concern.
But five other LeT operatives, chiefly Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, are also facing trial in Pakistan for their involvement in the attacks. The evidence against them is much more convincing and prosecuting them should be much easier. Agencies report Malik saying process would be "complicated and long".
In a chat with TOI, Bruce Riedel, US president Barack Obama's chief strategist on Af-Pak said, "The US should demand a real and thorough crack down on the LeT in Pakistan including arresting and jailing the masterminds of Mumbai. Only then can the India-Pakistan bilateral dialogue resume and tensions reduce."
Riedel, who recently co-chaired the interagency body that crafted the Af-Pak strategy has taken a hard line on what he calls Pakistan's "selective counter-terrorism."
Meanwhile, there is also speculation that one of Zardari's closest aides, Salman Farooqui, might take over the back channel negotiations with India, as and when they may be restarted. It shows, say sources, that Pakistan is keen to start the talks again, which were stopped by Pakistan in 2007. S K Lambah, PM's special envoy had completed several rounds of negotiations with Tariq Aziz, Musharraf's close aide, even identifying the broad contours of a resolution in Kashmir.
That said, the fundamentals of India's demands from Pakistan are unlikely to be met. According to senior officials, despite the ongoing bruising military offensive in the tribal regions, Pakistan
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