Arindam Banerji puts it all together on Rediff. So far, there is nothing to show that Pakistan has jettisoned the jehadi terrorists.
Its a pity Vajpayee is taking liberties with ground realities to support his election campaign. Giving Pakistan a public clean chit so early is sure to come back and haunt India’s negotiators.
But what is the solution of the chaos between the countries and is there any way that the common man in the two countries can help to bring the chaos down?
Kitty,
The ‘common man’ in India does not have any sinister agenda against Pakistan. That shows in how easily public opinion has put the Kargil back-stab behind and backed Vajpayee’s peace effort.
I’m not sure the same can be said about the Pakistani ‘common man’. Its does not appear that Pakistanis are willing to accept the status quo (ie they keep the part of Kashmir they already occupy). More importantly, even if they do, they are powerless in expressing their desire for peace because the ruling establishment thrives on Kashmir and the India bogey.
We can hope for lasting peace only when a democratic Pakistan abandons its anti-India dogma and ends its attempts to change the status quo in Kashmir by force. Musharraf’s legitimacy is open to question by any successor regime – any deal he signs will not last longer than his term of office.
But Vajpayee and Bush are not moving in a direction that can democratise Pakistan. On the contrary they are playing into the hands of Musharraf who knows he will outlive them.