India and Pakistan revive Track II talks

Former foreign secretary Salman Bashir. (AFP)

• Political will to resolve differences between the two nations exists in Pakistan, says former foreign secretary.
• “Pakistan is absolutely in favor of improving relations with India on the basis of equality, mutual interests and respect,” Salman Bashir.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India are reported to have resumed the Neemrana Dialogue through non-governmental discussions known as Track II negotiations, to address a wide range of issues that are causing concern despite the strained relations that exist between the two countries.
The initiative was resuscitated after an Indian delegation of former diplomats, army veterans and academics, headed by former External Affairs Secretary Vivek Katju, traveled across the border and met a group of Pakistanis led by Inam-ul-Haq, who occupied some of the highest posts while working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until his retirement.
Neemrana Dialogue was the first and one of the most notable Track II initiatives. It was launched at the Neemrana Fort in Rajasthan, India, in October 1991. It also resulted in the emergence of similar programs designed to normalize relations between the two bitter South Asian neighbors.
“There have been other Track II initiatives, but these were mostly funded by third parties. Neemrana had more India-Pakistan character,” said former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, T.C.A. Raghavan.
According to a report published by Times of India, the Neemrana meeting was held from April 28 to April 30 in Pakistan. The newspaper also claimed that New Delhi was going to observe and assess the result of Pakistan’s 2018 general elections before deciding to open official channels and resume the dialogue between the two countries.
“Pakistan is absolutely in favor of improving relations with India on the basis of equality, mutual interests and respect,” said former Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, while talking to Arab News. “Starting a process of dispute resolution requires political will, which exists in Pakistan.”
Relations between the South Asian nuclear neighbors have been low for a significantly long period: Some of the issues that have come to plague them, such as harassment of diplomats, have been addressed and resolved, though others, such as border skirmishes, have escalated.
An informal dialogue was held recently between the national security advisers of India and Pakistan to reduce tensions in the region.
Talking to Arab News, prominent political and foreign relations expert, Dr. Nazir Hussain, maintained that backchannel diplomacy should remain veiled from the media and public due to the sensitive nature of the troubled relations between Islamabad and New Delhi.
“Backdoor diplomacy has failed in the past since the media got a whiff of it,” Dr. Hussain said when he was asked why Pakistan had chose to remain silent on positive steps toward improving relations in the region.
“Due to constant Indian refusal to negotiate, Pakistan has remained cautious. It’s better to keep these contacts out of the public domain till something concrete is achieved,” he added.