EDITORIAL (March 09 2010): While speaking in the Indian parliament, Dr Manmohan Singh defended keeping in touch with Pakistan, he again predicated meaningful talks on the fulfilment of the "assurance by Islamabad that it will not permit any territory under its control to be used to support terrorism in any manner." Pakistan is employing all means at its disposal in its existential fight against terrorism.

It is conducting the fight whole-heartedly, not to please India or any other country, but for its own survival. What the Indian leadership continues to disregard is that terrorist groups involved in attacks all over the world are not under the control of any government. Further, they constitute a menace that can best be dealt with through close and prolonged co-operation on the part of the comity of nations, particularly the countries that are the terrorists' main targets.

Expecting Pakistan, which is the biggest victim of terrorism, to furnish guarantees that terrorists will not strike again in India is, therefore, highly unreasonable. Similarly, indulging in military threats, talking about hot pursuit, or enunciating the so-called "Cold Strategy", in fact amounts to playing in the hands of terrorists who can flourish best in an atmosphere of hostility prevailing in South Asia.

Nothing disturbs the terrorists more than a resolution of the core issues between the neighbouring countries leading to a joint and concerted campaign against the menace of terrorism. What is needed, under the circumstances, is for New Delhi and Islamabad to urgently resume the composite dialogue and concentrate on sorting out their outstanding disputes at the earliest.

Making preconditions for the initiation of these talks is tantamount to giving the terrorist a veto over the peace process. Instead of agreeing to come to the negotiation table, New Delhi has wasted months in an unrealistic and futile exercise of pressure building on Pakistan.

It has tried, in the process, shutting the window on talks, seeking Pakistan's isolation in the international community and extending badly concealed threats of war. Even Dr Manmohan Singh now realises that as Pakistan and India are nuclear-armed states, the channels of communication have to be kept open to avoid potential miscalculations that could lead to disastrous consequences for both countries.

He has cited the example of the Soviet Union and the United States, who remained in touch with each other, at the height of the Cold War. Few in Pakistan would, however, agree with him that the Indian policy towards talks has been "consistent, cautious and realistic."

It is, however, gratifying to note that Dr Singh sees the earlier Indian policy of isolating Pakistan in the comity of nations as unproductive. As he has confessed, "The rest of the international community is talking to Pakistan. So, our not talking to them is not going to isolate them. We have made our point strongly, but we cannot wish away the problem by not talking to them."

Staying in touch, however, is not enough. What is needed is to catch the bull by the horns. Finding that New Delhi was not prepared to budge from unrealistic preconditions, despite its expressed realisation that there wasn't an alternative to talks, Pakistan has launched a diplomatic initiative to push India into meaningful dialogue.

Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir has briefed foreign envoys and high commissioners on the recent Indo-Pak talks, urging them to convince India that its stubbornness has the potential to jeopardise regional peace. Dr Singh and Prime Minister Gilani would be together in Washington to attend Obama's Nuclear Security Summit in the second week of April.

Pakistan and India, being two nuclear-armed neighbours, the world is naturally worried about the continuation of disputes between them. As the mysterious disappearance and subsequent death in June last year of Indian nuclear scientist Lokanathan Mahalingam would indicate, there is a need on the part of the neighbouring countries to cooperate in foiling any possible attempt by terrorists to access nuclear information and hardware. One hopes Manmohan Singh would use the occasion to bring the two countries nearer towards composite dialogue.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010