New push for Indo-Pak peace process

Visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was wrapping up his two-day visit to India later Wednesday, after holding talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh here on bilateral issues in a bid to push forward the peace process.

Aziz's visit, the first by a Pakistani prime minister in 13 years, began with a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh on Tuesday. The two agreed at the meeting that thecomposite dialogue should continue to move forward.

Aziz's talks with the Indian prime minister on Wednesday focused on the peace process, particularly the Kashmir issue, which has been at the root of the enmity between India and Pakistan since the two countries gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

It is noteworthy that Manmohan Singh had telephoned Aziz Tuesday upon his arrival here, saying anything that was unacceptable in the past could become the norm in the future.

The world had "lived through times where what was simply unacceptable in international relations has become the norm. Who could say some 20 years ago that the Berlin Wall would be a thing of the past?" Singh said.

And the prime minister expressed the hope that "we can set in motion a similar process in this sub-continent. I earnestly and sincerely will work to that end."

Local analysts said Aziz's meeting with Manmohan Singh was an attempt to put the peace process back on track.

During his visit to Kashmir last week, the Indian prime minister ruled out any redrawing of India's borders or a further division of Kashmir, which was accused by Islamabad of not showingflexibility to resolve outstanding issues.

Musharraf suggested last month that Kashmir should be demilitarized and India and Pakistan agree on a compromise over its disputed status, which could be joint control, some form of UNcontrol or independence. But the new idea received a cool responsefrom New Delhi.

Despite the loggerheads on Kashmir issue, India and Pakistan have witnessed a remarkable improvement in their relationship in the past year.

The two neighbors have reached a cease-fire in disputed Kashmir,restored full diplomatic ties, sports and some transport links, and started negotiations on a range of issues, including nuclear-weapon "confidence-building measures."

Before traveling to Kashmir, Manmohan Singh announced a reduction of Indian troops deployed in Kashmir, which was welcomedby both local Kashmiris and Islamabad.

Aziz's visit also revived the hope for further cooperation in trade and economy. During his stay in New Delhi, Aziz discussed a long-term plan with Indian Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar to build a pipeline that will run through Pakistan and bring gas to energy-hungry India from Iran.

Both Pakistan and India have been keen on the 4-billion-US-dollar project for years but they have not made much headway because of political tensions between them. India imports 70 percent of its total energy consumed in the country.

"Now that both countries have warmed up their political ties, they are eager to put the pipeline project into reality," a senioreconomist said.

Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan has been in low level because of cold relations. The two-way trade was less than 400 million dollars, a minuscule percentage of the global trade ofthe two countries. Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said that bilateral trade can be raised to 5 billion dollars in two years if there is free trade between the two countries.

The major achievement of Aziz's visit was "the rebuilding of confidence and trust between the two neighbors" after Manmohan Singh's intransigent speech in ruling out any redrawing of international borders in Kashmir last week, a Western diplomat said.

Source: Xinhua