Indo-Pak: The more things change…

In Pursuit of Peace: India-Pakistan relations under six Prime Ministers

Author: Satinder Kumar Lambah

Publisher: Penguin Random House India

Pages: 372 

Price: Rs 799

India and Pakistan have had a complex and contentious relationship since their independence from British rule in 1947. Many books have been written around the issue but In Pursuit of Peace by seasoned diplomat Satinder Kumar Lambah provides a fresh perspective on many aspects of this troubled relationship of over 70 years.
 

With a foreword by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the book begins by stating the nuances in the evolution of Pakistan as a military state and speaks of the two wings of Pakistan as being numerically, racially, linguistically and ethnically different. It is these fault lines, says the author, that ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.

The author lays down the different prophecies made by different leaders over time about the eventual disintegration of these two wings of Pakistan in which Maulana Azad’s words stand out as the most prophetic. He said: “The fact of being Muslim has never created a durable political unity anywhere in the world.” The author quotes Lord Mountbatten saying: “Administratively, it was the difference between putting up a permanent building, a hut or a tent. As far as Pakistan is concerned, we are putting up a tent. We can do no more.” Commenting on this statement, the Pakistani American historian Ayesha Jalal writes: “Instead of being replaced by a permanent building the proverbial tent has been metaphorically transformed into a sprawling military barrack.”

Every Indian prime minister has tried to mend this relationship with differing strategies but met with the same result. The author starts dealing with Pakistan during Indira Gandhi’s second tenure as prime minister but gives a brief summary of the summit meetings between India and Pakistan from 1947 to 1978. In this period he talks about Prime Minister Nehru’s attempts to bring peace with the newly formed neighbour even though the scars of partition were still fresh. He talks about the Nehru-Liaquat Agreement on minorities and the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in September 1960. Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri also devoted significant attention to relations with Pakistan, meeting Ayub Khan in 1964.

Under Indira Gandhi’s leadership, India witnessed significant developments in its relationship with Pakistan. The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 resulted in the creation of Bangladesh, and India emerged as a major regional power. Indira Gandhi's government also signed the Simla Agreement in 1972 with Pakistan President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which outlined the principles for resolving bilateral issues peacefully. Despite these efforts, the main dispute between the two countries, Kashmir, remained unresolved.

The author says that like the Sino-Indian relations after the 1962 war, Rajiv Gandhi wanted Indo-Pakistan relations to be similarly reset. In 1988, he signed the Pakistan-India Agreement with President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, which aimed to reduce the risk of accidental nuclear escalation and improve bilateral relations. But progress was limited, and Kashmir remained the key challenge.

P V Narasimha Rao, according to the author, wanted Pakistan to stop support to both the Khalistan movement in Punjab and Kashmir militancy. Despite the fall of the Babri Masjid, the Mumbai riots and bomb blasts that followed, and constant changes of government in Pakistan, he maintained the policy of engagement, frequently suggesting new ideas. His famous statement from the ramparts of Red Fort in 1994, though, sent a robust message. He said, “With you, without you, in spite of you, Kashmir will remain an integral part of India.”

In one of the chapters in the book, the author talks of his professional engagements and personal interactions with Pakistan’s heads of state. Of General Zia, he says: “Mangoes were a part of his diplomatic overtures, and it was ironical that mangoes might have led to his death on 17th August 1988. A bomb hidden in a crate of mangoes aboard the PAF C-130 plane could have been responsible for the crash that ended his eleven-year rule.”

He talks of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Pakistan’s favourite Indian prime minister. He always had a realistic approach with regard to his dealings with Pakistan. In 1999, he initiated the Lahore Declaration, which aimed to resolve all bilateral issues, including Kashmir, through peaceful negotiations. However, the Kargil War in the same year derailed the peace process. Vajpayee’s government also conducted nuclear tests in 1998, which undoubtedly complicated the regional security dynamics. Despite these ups and downs in the relationship, Vajpayee remained committed to resolving the dispute. In his famous essay “Musings from Kumarakom” he writes, “[a] self-confident and resilient nation does not postpone the inconvenient issues of yesterday to a distant tomorrow. India is willing to seek a lasting solution to the Kashmir problem”.

The peace process between India and Pakistan gained momentum during Manmohan Singh’s tenure. He met with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and later with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, leading to several confidence-building measures and the initiation of a composite dialogue. The Mumbai terrorist attacks by Pakistan-sponsored actors in 2008 strained the relationship, however, leading to a freeze in bilateral talks.

Ambassador Lambah’s unparalleled experience and knowledge of Pakistan and its troubled relationship with India has resulted in a book of deep insights that will undoubtedly contribute to any serious historical study of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The reviewer is a non-fiction book critic based in New Delhi.