[DAWN] HERE we go again. Another high-level meeting between senior Indian and Pak officials with lots of hype and low expectations.Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats grabbed for his rosco...
Cyprus is heading towards reunification as leaders of the Turkish and Greek communities realise that in this day and age, endless conflict is harmful to both sides. Pakistain, however, is still fixated on its single-point agenda of Kashmire.
So much so, in fact, that our Foreign Office has, in its usual wisdom, arranged a meeting between Sartaj Aziz
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in
goodjihadis and
badjihadis as a matter of national policy...
, our national security adviser, and the separatist leaders of Hurriyat at a reception during his New Delhi visit. This has incensed the Indian establishment, and cast a cloud over the discussions on terrorism scheduled between Mr Aziz and his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval.
It does not need somebody with a doctorate in international relations to see that you don't go out of your way to antagonise your host on the eve of an important meeting. And for his part, Mr Modi, the Indian prime minister did nothing to smooth the way when he was in the UAE recently with a pointed joint declaration clearly meant to put Pakistain on the defensive.
But we did give him an opening when we refused to enter the Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
conflict on the side of Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and the Gulf states. While I agree wholeheartedly with that sensible decision, the fact is that actions and policies have repercussions. During the Modi visit, there was talk of major UAE investments in the Indian infrastructure.
And as a result of being prevented by Pakistain to use the overland route to Afghanistan, India is now pursuing an alternate path by talking to Iran about expanding and modernising its Persian Gulf port of Chabahar, close to the Pak border. The perception in Tehran is that Pakistain's Shias are being persecuted, and we are in the Saudi camp in the rivalry between the kingdom and Iran. This increases the chances of closer ties between Delhi and Tehran.
As an editorial in this newspaper noted: "It's time to emerge from the old world, and recognise the changes happening in our region before it's too late." For decades, the thinking of our diplomats has been shaped by the Kashmire conflict, and they still view the region through this narrow prism.
The reality is that nobody supports our claims over Kashmire, and even Kashmiris do not want to join Pakistain. Indeed, those fighting there are doing so for independence. And yet our diplomats continue banging the drum for archaic UN resolutions calling for a referendum that limits the choices for Kashmiris to merge with either India or Pakistain.