Excerpts from Karan Thapar’s interview of Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on CNN-IBN’S Devil’s Advocate programme:
On the conviction of Ajmal Kasab:
Shah Mehmood Qureshi (SMQ): Well, we have to begin with respect for each other’s judicial processes. Mr Kasab has been found guilty on a number of charges and the sentence is yet to be announced. We will await the detailed judgment and once the judgment is announced, we will give our considered reaction.
Karan Thapar (KT): If the judgment is a death sentence, would you as foreign minister of Pakistan accept that or would you plead for leniency?
SMQ: Well, you have your judicial process and we will have to respect each other’s judicial process.
KT: This is connected with the trial case of the Mumbai accused in Rawalpindi. Now prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has given an assurance to prime minister Manmohan Singh in Thimphu that this trial will be speeded up, but when, at the same time, we hear that Pakistan is seeking custody of Kasab, it sends contradictory messages. So, let me ask you upfront — is Kasab likely to become a legal tangle that can hold up this particular case, and worse still, could Kasab also become a cause or a source of hostile rhetoric between Delhi and Pakistan?
SMQ: It wasn’t the government of Pakistan’s request, it was the request or the requirement of the court. The government of Pakistan was conveying the decision of the court.
KT: But, now that Kasab has been convicted, what happens? Clearly, he cannot be extradited. So, is extradition going to be a sticking point as far as the trial of the Mumbai accused in Rawalpindi is concerned?
SMQ: I am not a legal expert and I cannot give you a legal opinion on that but I think that we have a far bigger agenda on the table. …. Pakistan is serious in moving forward. The prosecution has laid out, in my opinion, a very good case but we cannot sit in judgment, it’s for the court to decide.
On India-Pakistan relations:
SMQ: I think the spirit in Thimphu has to be kept alive. That is the only sensible way forward. The two prime ministers agreed and they reiterated their commitment for a resolution of issues through dialogue. They both acknowledged that dialogue is the only way forward. Yes, there will be difficulties and hiccups but we have to move on. We have a much bigger agenda and we should not let any individual, non-state actor or any terrorist organisations impede the peace process. We should develop it to such an extent that it becomes irreversible.
KT: One thing that you have acknowledged yourself is that there is a trust deficit on both sides and you publicly said that you have certain ideas for tackling it. What precisely do you have in mind?
SMQ: I think both sides would acknowledge the fact that there is a trust deficit and the prime ministers have asked the two foreign ministers to bridge that trust deficit. I have certain proposals which I am going to share with Mr S M Krishna when I get an opportunity to meet with him.
KT: When will that opportunity come?
SMQ: I would want it as early as possible but I believe he is busy in the Budgetary session. As soon as the Budget session is over, I am going to call him and I am going to propose a number of dates for our engagement.
KT: The Budget session ends on Friday, May 7, so will you pick up the phone Friday evening or Saturday morning? Is it as urgent as that in your eyes?
SMQ: I think it is very urgent. I will pick up the phone and look at his convenience and call him at the earliest.
KT: What will you propose — that he come to Pakistan or will you offer to go to India to expedite matters and take the process further?
SMQ: I intend to invite him to Islamabad but I have no issues with that. If he is occupied and he cannot come, then I have no issue in coming to Delhi.
KT: From Pakistan’s standpoint, the big critical issue is Kashmir. How would you like Kashmir to be handled hereafter?
SMQ: Where there is a will, there is a way and we acknowledge amongst ourselves that Kashmir is an outstanding issue between the two countries. But, in my view, we can make progress through peaceful negotiations. We have undertaken and we have in place a number of confidence-building measures vis-a-vis Kashmir and we can build further on them.
KT: It is widely believed in both countries that during the Manmohan Singh-Musharraf years, the back channel reached understandings that could become the basis of a resolution of the Kashmir issue and that has been confirmed specifically to me in separate interviews both by general Musharraf and separately by Mr Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri. The key issue is — do those understandings remain valid today or has your government disowned them?
SMQ: The present democratically elected government recognises the significance of a back channel. At times, quiet diplomacy is useful. And, we do not rule out the possibility of continuing the back channel. But, I am of the opinion that the back channel can only work in tandem with the front channel.
KT: But, what has been agreed or decided or discussed on the back channel, therefore, remains valid?
SMQ: That was between the then leadership. We will have to see. We are a democracy and in a democracy, you have got to get it endorsed by Parliament. You have to have all stake holders on board and there is a third party involved.
