Indo-Pak official talks to start on February 16

India met Pakistan halfway by agreeing to have secretary-level talks after a meeting of joint secretaries, with the first set of meetings scheduled to take place in Islamabad from February 16-18.

Joint Secretary level talks on February 16-17 would be followed by a one-day meeting of foreign secretaries on February 18, it was officially announced, to start the India-Pakistan composite dialogue.

India unbent following Pakistani requests that the dialogue take place at the level of foreign secretaries, so that it would have some amount of weight.

India was in favour of having joint-secretary level talks first before upgrading to the secretary-level. Islamabad was to have been the venue because talks of transport secretaries had been held in New Delhi.

The brief announcement by the external affairs ministry did not appear to do justice to the pats of approval from the West delivered through various fora.

The Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland, in his column on January 22, pointed to the huge joint victory over "cries of war" and the "small but steady steps toward a peace agreement on Kashmir".

"Shrewdness on the Indian side and desperation in Pakistan have come together to produce a potential Nobel Peace Prize for two uncommon leaders," Hoagland said. This is the first suggestion that the two leaders deserve a joint Nobel peace prize for their efforts.

In New Delhi, on the sidelines of the Asian Security Conference, however, former Pakistan Chief of Army Staff, Gen Jahangir Karamat, said the Spring of 2004 was going to be a Spring of Hope but only if India recognised that "what President Pervez Musharraf was offering was the maximum any leader of Pakistan could offer".

This was in response to questions about whether India should believe Musharraf's commitment, in light of the fact that he had made similar pledges to end cross-border terrorism, earlier.

"Musharraf has made sure that Pakistani territory won't be used against any other country. The joint statement and offer of cease-fire has for the first time, seen reciprocity in Indo-Pak relations. You do something, we do something - reciprocity makes the process sustainable," said Karamat warning that breakdown of reciprocity would mean a breakdown of the talks.

On the US role in the talks, Karamat said Pakistan had all along been in favour of the third party mediation. India had been for the US facilitation rather than mediation, he added.

"All the US has done is firmed its role (in the region). It is not good for either India or Pakistan to drum up the US role. The two countries can operate bilaterally. But the US help is useful," said Karamat, mindful of the threat that bending too US-wards represents for Musharraf in his domestic constituency.