Wednesday, June 07, 2006
India-Pakistan animosity will be history in 10 years, says Sinha
By Mohammed Rizwan
LAHORE: Yashwant Sinha, former Indian external affairs minister, said on Tuesday that animosity between India and Pakistan would be a thing of the past within 10 years.
Speaking at an interactive dialogue on âIndo-Pak peace: The way forwardâ organised by Pildat at Royal Palm and Country Club, Sinha said the direction of peace between both countries was same envisaged by President Pervez Musharraf and former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004.
âThe roadmap we came up with in 2004 is staying the course. We knew we would face obstacles, but we also knew that we could either go over them or just bypass them. The simple logic of peace and economics is too powerful to be bogged down by irritants,â he said.
Sinha said a breakdown of the talks and disengagement were not an option regardless of who the head honcho was in New Delhi and Islamabad. However, he said, both countries needed to proceed with caution and patience. âPeople insisting on a timeline are doing a disservice to peace. We have to be cautious and patient in getting to meaningful results. If we link progress to certain issues weâll be shooting ourselves in the foot,â he added.
Sinha also said Kashmir would never be forgotten or put on the backburner. âIndia should not be afraid of dealing with the issue. We must proceed simultaneously on all issues including Kashmir,â he added.
Dismissing a possible role for a superpower in resolving the conflict between both countries, Sinha said, âFor us to look to someone else for arbitration is pathetic. Why should someone else decide what we want for ourselves? I say keep the superpowers out of the subcontinent because if we let them in we both will end up losing.â
He also said no government in Delhi alone could decide the future of Indo-Pak relations. âThere is a complete national consensus in India over the question of peace with Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh keeps talking to the BJP and other opposition parties on the issue and there is a convergence of views. Personal rapport between leaders is important, but at the end of the day it is India and Pakistan who talk and not the persons. The dependence on persons has to be given up,â he added.
He said that of all the issues on the table between India and Pakistan, Sir Creek was the most ripe for an immediate solution. âThere are differences on Siachen, but Sir Creek can be resolved immediately. But for the common man, as I have witnessed, the most pressing problem is freer movement across the border and more trade,â he said.
âTrade, economics and peoplesâ movement are keys to lasting peace. I know there are concerns in Pakistan that Indian goods will flood the market and damage the local industry if we allow free trade. We had the same concerns a few years ago vis-Ã -vis China, but today out trade with China is more than $15 billion and we stand in the surplus,â he added.
Host of the dialogue, former foreign and finance minister Sartaj Aziz, said India too must show flexibility on smaller irritants such as Siachen.
India-Pakistan animosity will be history in 10 years, says Sinha
By Mohammed Rizwan
LAHORE: Yashwant Sinha, former Indian external affairs minister, said on Tuesday that animosity between India and Pakistan would be a thing of the past within 10 years.
Speaking at an interactive dialogue on âIndo-Pak peace: The way forwardâ organised by Pildat at Royal Palm and Country Club, Sinha said the direction of peace between both countries was same envisaged by President Pervez Musharraf and former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004.
âThe roadmap we came up with in 2004 is staying the course. We knew we would face obstacles, but we also knew that we could either go over them or just bypass them. The simple logic of peace and economics is too powerful to be bogged down by irritants,â he said.
Sinha said a breakdown of the talks and disengagement were not an option regardless of who the head honcho was in New Delhi and Islamabad. However, he said, both countries needed to proceed with caution and patience. âPeople insisting on a timeline are doing a disservice to peace. We have to be cautious and patient in getting to meaningful results. If we link progress to certain issues weâll be shooting ourselves in the foot,â he added.
Sinha also said Kashmir would never be forgotten or put on the backburner. âIndia should not be afraid of dealing with the issue. We must proceed simultaneously on all issues including Kashmir,â he added.
Dismissing a possible role for a superpower in resolving the conflict between both countries, Sinha said, âFor us to look to someone else for arbitration is pathetic. Why should someone else decide what we want for ourselves? I say keep the superpowers out of the subcontinent because if we let them in we both will end up losing.â
He also said no government in Delhi alone could decide the future of Indo-Pak relations. âThere is a complete national consensus in India over the question of peace with Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh keeps talking to the BJP and other opposition parties on the issue and there is a convergence of views. Personal rapport between leaders is important, but at the end of the day it is India and Pakistan who talk and not the persons. The dependence on persons has to be given up,â he added.
He said that of all the issues on the table between India and Pakistan, Sir Creek was the most ripe for an immediate solution. âThere are differences on Siachen, but Sir Creek can be resolved immediately. But for the common man, as I have witnessed, the most pressing problem is freer movement across the border and more trade,â he said.
âTrade, economics and peoplesâ movement are keys to lasting peace. I know there are concerns in Pakistan that Indian goods will flood the market and damage the local industry if we allow free trade. We had the same concerns a few years ago vis-Ã -vis China, but today out trade with China is more than $15 billion and we stand in the surplus,â he added.
Host of the dialogue, former foreign and finance minister Sartaj Aziz, said India too must show flexibility on smaller irritants such as Siachen.