Chinese philosopher Confucius’ words of wisdom acquires greater relevance in the context of the present stalemate in India-Pakistan relations.

Islamabad and Delhi’s flip-flops over the years have largely been responsible for the present stalemate in the two countries relations. After fighting three wars, they started their journey “of a thousand miles” for peace with two steps – first when then prime minister AtalBehariLalVajpeyee undertook his famous bus journey to Lahore in February 1999 and signed the Lahore Declaration with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif virtually laying the roadmap for settling all issues including Kashmir between the two countries. But Pervez Musharraf’s Kargil misadventure and later his capturing power spoiled the peace process.

For the second time, according to Khurshid Mohammed Kasuri, Pakistan’s former foreign minister, India and Pakistan had almost reached an agreement on all the issues through backchannel talks when Manmohan Singh and Musharraf were in power. But “as the agreement neared finalisation early in 2007, the process was overtaken by the rapid political developments in Pakistan that set off Musharraf’s downfall”. He told an Indian media person on August 31 that “the contours of “four point (aborted settlement) formula” reportedly comprised self-governance in Kashmir, de-militarisation of the region, unrestricted travel and trade between the two sides of Kashmir such thatLoC became irrelevant, and a joint mechanization between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.”

The Ufa agreement between Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif signaled the third attempt to settle all issues between the two countries. It said “the two prime ministers agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues.” But it was the third point of the agreement that “A meeting in New Delhi between the two NSAs to discuss all issues connected to terrorism” whose conflicting interpretation by the two countries has led to the cancellation of NSAs meeting. While Pakistan wanted Kashmir should have been on the cancelled NSAs agenda, India insisted that as the agreement stipulated “to discuss all issues connected to terrorism, Kashmir could not be discussed by NSAs.”

It is Pakistan’s misfortune that whenever Delhi and Islamabad took initiatives for peace and reconciliation between the two countries -Ufa being the latest- Pakistan’s powerful army’s bosses sabotaged such attempts. In May 2013, the country’s Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif had told an Indian journalist: “Let there be no doubt that we will not allow terrorism to be exported to India from Pakistani soil. … I am determined to restore the authority of the PM’s office. The army will be on board and report to the PM who is the boss.”

Nawaz Sharif must now be feeling helpless because of Pakistan Army’s overpowering role in his government’s functioning and “exporting terrorism from Pakistani soil”. It will not be irrelevant to recall the role played by Pakistan army’s ISI outfit in acting as executioners of the CIA masterminded plan to encourage Khalistani militants in Punjab in the eighties. The USA’s Richard Nixon Administration had then wanted to destablise Indira Gandhi because of her being pro-Soviet Union.

Modi government’s flip-flops on its Pakistan policy have also contributed to the stalemate in the reconciliatory process. It had cancelled the two countries Foreign Secretaries scheduled meeting a day before it was to be held protesting against the Pakistan High Commissioner’s plan to hold discussions with the Hurriyat leaders. But in the background of India never objecting to Pakistan High Commissioner holding talks with its representatives in the past, there should have been no objection by Delhi in the High Commissioner holding talks with Hurriyat leaders. In the past Delhi had even been giving them visas to go abroad where they held talks with foreign countries representatives.

During the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, even a high-powered committee was sent to Jammu and Kashmir to elicit the views of all stake-holders including those of the hardliner Hurriyat’s chief Geelani on resolving the Kashmir issue.

This time India cancelled the two countries NSAs meeting saying that Ufa did not stipulate discussion on Kashmir in the NSA meeting. Hurriyat is definitely not a party in Pakistan-India bilateral talks. But as stakeholders in the Kashmir imbroglio, their views cannot be ignored. So their holding talks with Pakistan High Commissioner should not have led to the cancellation of the NSAs meeting.

For the sake of peace in the region, Delhi and Islamabad will have to abandon their flip-flop approach for finding a solution of their problems including the Jammu and Kashmir issue. This is imperative in view of the perception that the ISIS may pose a threat to the two neighbours. Signs of the barbaric Muslim body getting a foothold in the region have already started emerging with the reports that some Indian and Pakistani youths are suspected to have joined the IS ranks. The organization’s flags are already being hoisted by protesting Kashmiri youths.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall”. Will the Ufa agreement prove to be fresh attempt of what Confucius had described “beginning of a journey of a thousand miles”? One should hope so. (IPA Service)