The recent meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has provided the necessary nudge for the two countries to return to the discussion table on core issues like Siachen and Sir Creek. Officials from both countries are expected to meet within the next two months to discuss both these contentious issues.
It’s learnt that the nitty-gritty of paperwork for these meetings is expected to begin once the dates have been scheduled.
In the case of Siachen, where troops from either side serve in treacherous terrain and adverse weather conditions, the defence secretaries of the two countries will be meeting for some forward movement on this issue. The defence secretaries will be meeting to see if there is any “room for flexibility” on the issue, it is understood.
The perilous nature of being posted at icy heights of up to 22,000 feet in Siachen came into sharp focus just a few days ago when over 100 Pakistani soldiers posted at a camp there were buried alive in an avalanche.
As for Sir Creek, the surveyor generals of the two countries will be meeting to resolve a dispute whose settlement was considered “doable” when the PM met the President earlier this week in the capital. Here again, India is expected to approach the matter with an “open mind”.
Regarding the Sir Creek issue — a 96 km strip of water in the Rann of Kutch — India and Pakistan were on the verge of settling its maritime boundary, having undertaken joint hudrographic surveys and exchanging of charts when 26/11 happened. This event brought discussions heading towards a resolution of the Sir Creek to a grinding halt.
As the two neighbours witness a further thaw in their relations post the Singh-Zardari meeting, there is also anticipation about when the Indian PM will be making his trip to Pakistan. India, it is learnt, would be keeping an eye on the calendar as the tenure of the present government ends in about a year-and-a-half’s time.
While the Prime Minister accepted President Zardari’s invite to visit Pakistan, India will be hoping for some substantive results before Dr Singh finally undertakes the trip. For now, there’s a perception here that “we’re still not there” as far as these results are concerned.