Cooperation between Pakistan, India: 'Good Friday agreement a viable security route'

The 'Good Friday Agreement' is a viable security route to co-operation between Pakistan and India which would open the way for a durable détente and provide an enabling environment for substantive regional co-operation, said a former Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), Dr Shireen M Mazari.
In a public talk on 'The security route to co-operation: A new blueprint for Pakistan-India relations', Dr Shireen explained that in the context of Kashmir the 'Good Friday Agreement' becomes very relevant especially its three underlying principles. One is recognition of the right of the people to choose their own future through a referendum and the binding clause for both states involved not only to accept the result of such a referendum but also to allow the people the choice of periodic referendums, seven years apart, in case they change their minds.
Second, she said, both states recognise other's special interests in the disputed entity; and third, the principle of de-weaponisation follows implementation of the agreement rather than being a precondition. "It is time for us to revisit the Kashmir dispute in the light of the Good Friday Agreement and begin by identifying the groups who need to be made party to the negotiations as well as asking the UN to prepare a register of Kashmiris who would be eligible to take part in the plebiscite", she said. She said that there were also blueprints of solutions on Siachin and Sir Creek which require political will, especially on the part of India, which reneged on the original Siachin Agreement of 1989.
Criticizing the Musharaf's backdoor diplomacy for the rights of Kashmiri people, she termed the policy was confusing, as various aspects need to be covered were not identified in the policy. She opined that security route to co-operation should also be a part of CBMs as all conventional co-operation did not produce desired results. She said that the centerpiece of the security route to co-operation would have tremendous economic benefits that would be joint nuclear power generation.
"Both Pakistan and India are conventional energy-deficient states and both are overt nuclear powers. So, there is no reason not to cooperate in the field of civil nuclear energy with both countries sharing joint control of the relevant technology", Dr Mazari added. She maintained that the list of nuclear facilities, which the two countries exchange at the end of every calendar year, should also be expanded now as both countries have overt nuclear programmes.
"I feel the time has come to stop going through a stalemated dialogue process, and move forward by targeting the most sensitive and meaningful area--tension reduction-that is adopting the security route to co-operation", she said. Regarding possibility of inking no-war pact with India, She said that it was considered by the regime of Zia ul Haq, but successive governments did not pay much attention to this side.
She said that, in principle, the MFN status to India is a requirement of the WTO but it has to be done alongside the removal of non-tariff barriers, the sort of protectionism India hides behind. She said that Pakistan and India could normalise their relations if current barriers are removed through implementation of CBMs.
ISSI Director-General Ashraf Jehangir Qazi said that Pakistan needs an efficient and viable route to normalise relations with India. Pakistan could succeed with India to move its stance on Kashmir if it got the support of international community. Currently, Pakistan is considered as a troubled country, and this image needs to be changed, he said. A lot of foreign dignitaries, government officials and academia participated in public talk.