US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue

The latest round of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue confirmed the two countries' 'dedication to cultivating a strategic, comprehensive and long-term partnership,' according to a joint statement released at the conclusion of the three-day gathering. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, accompanied by high-level delegations, held the third ministerial-level meeting of the dialogue, following meetings in March and July.

The dialogue was preceded by sectoral-track engagement on agriculture, communications and public diplomacy, defense, energy, finance and economic cooperation, health, law enforcement and counter-terrorism, water and women's empowerment. Qureshi conveyed the gratitude of Pakistan to the United States for humanitarian assistance given in the wake of the Pakistan floods, and for mobilizing international assistance for relief, recovery, and reconstruction. Clinton 'commended the tenacity of the Pakistani people as they recover from the catastrophic flooding,' and pledged constant US support as relief efforts transition into the long-term recovery phase.

Wide Range of Issues
Sectoral meetings covered a range of subjects 'with a clear focus on socioeconomic development and the establishment of a mutually beneficial partnership.

The United States committed to redouble its efforts to seek US congressional enactment of legislation to create Reconstruction Opportunity Zones and for the establishment of an Enterprise Fund. Both sides sought to work closely and collaboratively with the international donor community and international financial institutions to extend economic assistance to Pakistan.

The United States commended the 'steadfast resolve' of Pakistan to defeat terrorists. Pakistan expressed appreciation for the Secretarys announcement to seek US. Congressional authorization for a Multi-Year Security Assistance Commitment, a five-year pledge by the United States.

Both sides said that 'a democratic, progressive and prosperous Pakistan was in the interest of the United States, the region and the world.' The officials 'renewed their resolve to promoting peace, stability and transparency throughout the region and to eliminate the threats posed by terrorism and extremism.

During the Pakistani delegations visit to the White House, President Barack Obama announced his plans to visit Pakistan in 2011 and welcomed President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington. The next round of the Strategic Dialogue is planned to be held in 2011, and the sectoral working groups plan to meet prior to the next ministerial-level meeting.

Pakistan is an important player in the ongoing global effort for countering terrorism in the Afghan-Pakistan region, which has implications for Pakistan's security, and regional and global politics. It opted for this strategy in September 2001, signifying the abandonment of its policy of supporting the Taliban movement and its government in Kabul.

While sharing the goals and the general direction of countering terrorism with the US, Pakistan has demonstrated autonomy on the issues that the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) view as integral to Pakistan's internal political imperatives and external security with reference to Afghanistan and India.

The Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue has more to do with discord than accord. It is more about distrust than trust. Way back in 2006, President George Walker Bush spent a few hours in Pakistan and spoke for an 'enduring' relationship between the two countries. This time we are told by Washington bigwigs that Americans will not walk away. They will continue to be good friends.

Positive indications given by Bush, however, have not yielded the desired results. Little headway has been made insofar as trade and investments are concerned. It is puzzling and, indeed, disappointing to find the US deliberately ignoring these vitals interests of a close ally. In addition to this, the promise to set up Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in the tribal areas has also not been fulfilled.

A major initiative, after the lapse of many years, has been the passing of the Kerry-Lugar Bill (KLB). But its conditions and the peculiar manner of its implementation have taken the sheen off an otherwise fairly attractive gesture. A clarification that part of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan funding and Flood Relief assistance will come from the KLB commitments has further affected the positive impression earlier created. The delay in disbursement of the coalition support installments too has downgraded the quality of relationship between the two countries.

The basic problem for any dialogue between the US and Pakistan is that the two countries remain as strategically far apart as they perhaps ever have been. A relationship of necessity based on fear of the other can never be the starting point for a true and meaningful partnership. Consider that beyond non-proliferation and counter-terrorism -- both 'negative' reasons to cooperate -- there is little that can be seen as long-term areas of cooperation in the strategic dialogue. Nevertheless, dialogue is always good. At least now the US and Pakistan have a regular forum to meet and discuss issues at a high level -- if nothing else, they may begin to understand each other's security concerns better.

$2 Billion Package for Islamabad
The new military aid plan or 'security assistance', as the US mandarins call it) was yet to be formally unveiled, but US media accounts suggest it is a done deal: That it would be a $2 billion package spread over five years, over and above the $7.5 billion non-military aid plan approved last year. The new security pact would have three parts: the sale of the US military equipment to Pakistan, a program to allow Pakistani military officers to study at American war colleges and counterinsurgency assistance to Pakistani troops.

Between 2001 and 2009, Pakistan had collected about $9 billion in US military assistance, in terms of aid and reimbursement for its operations in aid of the American-led war effort in Afghanistan. Another $3.6 billion funded economic and diplomatic initiatives. 'But US officials and journalists' accounts have raised concerns that such funds are not being used as intended, and not just because of the typical concerns about corruption,' a Newsweek investigative account said last year. 'Will any amount of money produce results?,' it posed, noting: 'A big part of that answer lies in determining how much bang the United States has gotten for its buck so far -- whether or not some of the money was siphoned off along the way to fund Army generals' new houses or the Taliban elements.'

That may have been about one kind of misuse, but the other misuse by diverting the money for beefing up Pakistan's military might against India has been confirmed by the Pentagon itself. Documents revealed last year how Pakistan had brazenly used billions of dollars meant to fight the war on terror for buying an array of conventional weaponry to develop its offensive capability against India.

Pakistan also used a large portion of funds provided under FMF (Foreign Military Financing) to purchase up to 60 mid-life update kits for F-16 A/B combat aircraft valued at $891 million. Of this, it paid $477 million from the FMF funds given by the United States.

Pakistan's Offerings
Pakistan agreed to the seven US demands but in reality, some of these demands were not fully complied with. For example, the US was not given 'blanket over flight and landing rights'. Instead Pakistan provided a corridor for US aircraft to fly over Pakistani territory on the way to Afghanistan. Similarly, Pakistan did not give unlimited use of its naval ports, air bases and strategic locations on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Other facilities extended to the US included flyover and landing rights to American aircraft, support facilities, as well as transit of goods and personnel through Pakistan, the sharing of information between the intelligence agencies of the two countries and permission to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to function in Pakistan in collaboration with its Pakistani counterparts.

Pakistan gave two airports -- Shamsi in Balochistan and Jacobabad in Sind -- for logistical, communication and emergency support to counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. Though the US was not authorized to use these air bases for launching air raids into Afghanistan, the US military authorities did not always honor this commitment. A third airport, Pasni, was made available to them temporarily. Shamsi is said to be still in American use in 2010.

Obama's Janus-Headed Policy Toward Pakistan
Is it intended to be a sop to Pakistan in lieu of being overlooked for a US presidential visit that takes Barack Obama to its neighbor and arch-rival, India? The fact that Washington chose to convene a third round of US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue less than a fortnight before Obama's India visit in November 2010 and pledge a hefty $2 billion military aid package may be nothing short of a balancing act.

For all the talk of de-hyphenation of America's policy approach toward India and Pakistan, it may still be a zero-sum game that Washington plays in the subcontinent, no matter the delinking of the Presidential visit to the two countries. The stratagem in the US corridors of power may also be aimed at keeping Islamabad in check, just in case Obama decides to unveil some goodies while in New Delhi, such as endorsing or signaling support for India's bid for a permanent seat in UN Security Council and/or easing high-tech export controls. For that very reason, India, also, may mute for the time being its concerns over the substantial military aid to Islamabad.

Whatever the American calculations, Indian worries are set to mount, given the likelihood of Pakistan again diverting much of the new aid to bolster its military machine against India instead of using it to combat terrorism. Defence Minister AK Antony apparently had an inkling of what was coming, so he made it a major talking point when he visited Washington last month and held parleys with three of the big guns of the Obama administration -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser James Jones. But Antony's expression of concern appears to have fallen by the wayside.

Pakistan-India Dialogue: Effects on Afghanistan

In the second week of April 2010, during the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, in addition to meeting leaders of other countries Pakistan's Prime Minister also held a meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. The meeting was held on October 29 at the time when Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai also held meetings with Pakistani and Indian leaders in a bid to help improve ties between these two countries.

Mumbai Attacks Case
After the Mumbai attacks in 2009 when relations between Pakistan and India deteriorated and the series of meetings halted, the two countries at the time did not agree to hold talks even on the mediation of the United Nations. Each summit of SAARC concludes in the interest of all participating countries. On the sidelines of this summit, bilateral meeting between Pakistan and India is considered beneficial for both the countries. Here we discuss and write to see what will be the interest of Afghanistan if good relations exist between Pakistan and India?

The communiqué of SAARC meeting between Gilani and Manmohan says that Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani was also accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Qureshi held a meeting with his Indian counterpart, S M Krishna. In addition to this prime ministers of both the countries were accompanied by their aides as well as other high level officials.

Now, first we look into the meeting of the leaders of Pakistan and India, and then we will think on the aspect of Afghanistan. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after a long term of bad relations, once again agreed to start composite dialogue between Pakistan and India. Although the issue of Mumbai incident was raised by the high-level Indian officials, the agreement to start composite dialogue helped end last year's tension. In addition to this tension, agreement was reached to hold talks. Leaders of both the countries acknowledged that holding talks can resolve disputes between the two countries and this will be in the interest of not only India and Pakistan but also for the region. During the meeting and talks, which continued for about 50 minutes, it was also stressed that both countries will stop using their soils against each other. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani met with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh at the time when conclusion of SAARC Summit was announced. With the conclusion of SAARC Summit, leaders of both countries agreed to hold bilateral meetings and to continue talks between the two countries.

Eliminating Terrorism
Last year this meeting was held at Sharm al-Shaykh. In that meeting also, leaders of India and Pakistan met but the issue of Mumbai incident remained unchanged between them and India continued blaming Pakistan of harboring terrorism and establishing terror camps in Kashmir and other parts of India. Whatsoever was discussed in this meeting but India raised the issue that Pakistan harbors terrorism. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna, that whenever ties between the two countries deteriorated, Bangladesh is affected first and on political aspect the damage to Bangladesh should be given more attention because on the issue of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India fought a bloody war in 1971 and after that Bangladesh was separated from Pakistan.

On neighborhood basis, though, Afghanistan has no joint border with India but on political basis Afghanistan needs more relations with India than Pakistan. This need has emerged because of the current warring situation in Afghanistan. In comparison to Pakistan, relations with India are more important for Afghanistan because India has no religious, cultural, and ideological ties with Afghanistan. If on political basis Afghanistan does no make ties with India, then it India, in the form of an enemy can inflict damage of any type to Afghanistan. At the time when Pakistan and India were at war for the liberation of Kashmir in 1965, ties between India and Afghanistan were better.

Political Rivalry Between India and Pakistan
In the face of these good relations a number of Pakistanis were of the view that India was carrying out aerial attacks on Western Pakistan from Afghanistan's side and border. Therefore, because of the bad relations between Pakistan and India, ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan also deteriorated. Indian observers claim and expressing their views, during literary gatherings, that Pakistan has not got good neighboring relations with Afghanistan. But the Pakistani people and Afghanistan say that India pursues its interests in Afghanistan and want to deteriorate ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As Pakistan and India now want to improve their relations and for this purpose they agreed to hold dialogue and meetings. This situation is in the best interest of Afghanistan because, although, Afghanistan has suffered damages because of the attacks by foreign armies, it also experienced losses in the form of education, culture and population because of political rivalry between India and Pakistan. Whenever Pakistan wanted, it has boosted reconstruction work in Afghanistan for improving friendship. India has changed the minds of a number of Afghans toward conspiracies against Pakistan. India has three objectives to achieve against Pakistan; it wants to change the minds of Persian-speaking people and to augment its influence and increase its supporters in Afghanistan.

Hatching Conspiracies
Since 2001, India has made pledges with Afghans for making five dams in Afghanistan. It is stated that three important dams will be constructed in Mazar-e-Sharif, Ghazni and Kunar and later will plan the construction of two other dams in Helmand and Parwan provinces. So far neither the dam was built on the waters of River Amo in Mazar-e-Sharif nor any power plants were installed at Sultan Band to provide electricity to Ghazni and Wardak and also no embankment was made at the river in Kunar. Parwan and Helmand Province have already been discussed later in the plan. But even if there are good ties between India and Pakistan, they prove helpful for Afghanistan.

The first thing is India should refrain from hatching conspiracies against Pakistan and Afghanistan and the second thing is it should not oppose awarding contracts of works and constructions in Afghanistan to Afghanistan; India should itself compete in the reconstruction work in Afghanistan. In this way Afghanistan will be reconstructed as the result of good relations between Pakistan and India. Relations will be better between these two countries and its benefit will go to Afghanistan also.

Revival of Pakistan-India Composite Dialogue

The Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India have met on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Thimphu (Bhutan) and again agreed for the revival of composite dialogue that was deadlocked after Mumbai attacks। The two leaders also held an informal meeting on the occasion of the summit, both expressed good will gestures, and also walked together for a while in SAARC village during which views were exchanged on different affairs. On the very next day the two prime ministers held formal talks, with the agenda of reviving the composite dialogue.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and the Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told that the two countries have agreed on resumption of composite dialogue। Foreign Minister Qureshi acknowledged that there is trust deficit between the two countries and the composite dialogue can help remove this trust deficit. The Indian foreign secretary said dialogue is the only course to resolve disputes.

Internal Indian Politics
Shah Mahmud Qureshi had said that Manmohan Singh is a positive person but the internal Indian politics is preventing him from establishing better relationship with Pakistan। At present, the political parties of India play the card of Pakistan-India relationship.

Every political party tries to excel others in its anti-Pakistan policy on the occasion of elections because it is believed that a party which is more anti-Pakistan can get more votes। This is a strange logic. They are unaware of the fact that majority of the Indian people are fed up with the anti-Pakistan policies of the political parties.

Impact of Madhuri Gupta's Arrest
India has arrested a woman diplomat of its high commission in Islamabad, Madhuri Gupta from New Delhi for allegedly spying for Pakistan, while monitoring of the RAW station head in Islamabad has been tightened। The Indian news agencies quotes authorities in the Indian Intelligence Bureau as saying that Madhuri Gupta was working as the second secretary in the press wing of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and she was providing intelligence regarding India to Pakistani intelligence agencies.

The woman was called to New Delhi four days ago on the pretext of consultations about SAARC Summit। The charge on which the Indian woman was arrested is India's internal matter but the Indian authorities often level such charges against passengers and the Indian Muslims. Charges have been leveled against a high-ranking official of the Indian High Commission after a long time. The Pakistani authorities are required to be very cautious and watchful in this regard because India had coined such pretexts before starting 1965 and 1971 wars.

Demand of Situation
They are of the view that instead of stoking tensions, the political parties of India should provide relief to the people bogged down in the quagmire of poverty। If closely seen, a large number of people in India are presently forced to live a life below the poverty line. However, the rulers obsessed by war frenzy ignore education, other sectors and engaged in stockpiling weapons.

The revival of composite dialogue between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India is a welcoming step. Now, Manmohan Singh should come out of the sphere of regional politics and don't pay heed to the opposition parties. He should respect the opinion of the Indian people and extend a hand of friendship to Pakistan.

General Kayani's Washington Visit and US-Pak Cooperation

At present, the entire Pakistan is under the threat of terrorism, which appears to be without end. However, far way from this bloodshed, some decisions are being taken in Washington and the GHQ (General Headquarters) in Rawalpindi that will determine the future of Pakistan in the days to come.

In pursuit of its political objectives, the United States is attempting to devise a broader strategy for the war against terror under which the Pakistani military will get the opportunity to play the leading role. The main goal of this strategy is to bring down the Taliban and Al-Qa'ida and also to eliminate the Pakistani groups associated with this network. The primary focus of this strategy is to isolate Taliban's supreme commander Mullah Omar in order to force him to negotiate with the United States and pave the way for the US withdrawal.

Pakistan will hold a key position in this whole planning and the last month's arrest of Mullah Omar's deputy Mullah Beradar is part of the same planning. The Pakistani military will play a central role in this whole plan, and General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani's visit to the United States was meant for the same purpose. That is why General Kayani, the Pakistan Army chief, is the main focus of the US attention.

56-Page Document
The main point of the strategic dialogue between the United States and Pakistan held in Washington was to guarantee Pakistan's role in the Afghan conflict and take decisions to eradicate the terrorism network. It has become clear after this dialogue that the United States wants to withdraw from Afghanistan and it requires Pakistan's assistance in this regard.

Pakistan was aware of what did the United States want. Therefore, a 56-page document was prepared after consultation with the military officials, which talked about what Pakistan wants from the United States and the concerns that are prevalent in Pakistan with reference to the United States. This document was handed over to the United States before the strategic dialogue. Pakistan mentioned the sacrifices, which it has given in the war against terror and also put forward its demands before the United States.

These demands include the transfer of nuclear technology from the United States to Pakistan, acknowledgment of Pakistan's status of a Muslim nuclear power, Pakistan's involvement in talks regarding the future of Afghanistan and the US funding for water projects to resolve the power crisis in Pakistan. In addition to these, issues like additional aid for Pakistan under the coalition support fund, release of blocked funds, supply of drone technology to Pakistan, pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue, and the US intrusion in the matter concerning blockage of Pakistani water were also talked about in this 56-page document.

Resolving Disputes With India
Pakistan demanded of the United States to supply gunship helicopters, spy planes, and other warfare equipment to be used in fight against the Taliban and requested for increased cooperation between the intelligence agencies of the two countries. In addition to this, concerns were raised over India's military preparation and procurement of weapons from the United States. Pakistan also requested Washington to play a direct role in restoring the peace process between India and Pakistan that has been brought to a standstill after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008.

The main point of this document was to ensure Pakistan's safety on the eastern borders. It has further stated with regard to issues that Pakistan's strategic interests will continue to clash with the US strategic interests in the region, and Pakistan will only be able to take limited action against the Taliban until Pakistan's safety is guaranteed on its eastern borders.

This document has left the US officials in jeopardy. The document was debated in the US Department of State and it was decided where to favor Pakistan and where not to. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi led the delegation consisting of Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, chief of the Army staff, senior advisers and secretaries of different ministries. However, the US delegation consisted of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and other high-ranking officials.

These negotiations took place in a pleasant atmosphere. The United States accepted most of Pakistan's demands. However, the United States refused to accept some, for instance, it refused to play a role in resolving the water dispute with India, and said that this dispute between the two countries was 50-year-old. The United States has accepted Pakistan's demand to ensure that the Pakistani products have access to the US markets. The US ambassador to Islamabad has also ruled out the possibility of civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan, which shows that the United States is not providing civil nuclear technology to Pakistan.

Pakistan's Security Needs
The biggest achievement of this dialogue is the assurance given to the military leadership by the US officials that the United States will fulfill its vows regarding Pakistan's security needs, and will provide latest equipment as well as drone technology to Pakistan. This assurance was given during General Kayani's meeting with Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen.

According to a statement issued by the Pentagon, bilateral defense issues were the main focus of General Kayani's meeting with Robert Gates and Mike Mullen. The US defense secretary assured General Kayani that the United States will fulfill Pakistan's security requirements in the war against terror on urgent basis, ensure that drone technology and modern equipment and weapons are provided to Pakistan, and all promises are fulfilled. General Kayani talked about the needs of the Pakistani security forces, regional security and stability, new US Afghan policy, and outcome of the Helmand Operation to this point during this meeting with Robert Gates.

US Withdrawal From Afghanistan
According to a senior US military official, who was part of the recent meetings with General Kayani and other Pakistani officials, Pakistan knows that there is not much time left for the United States to directly assist Islamabad. He claimed that General Kayani focused all of his attention on establishing cooperation between the Pakistani and Afghan Governments at a time when the United States is reducing the number of troops and investment in Afghanistan. Most importantly, India has rejected the idea of any third-party mediation in the decade-old disputes between India and Pakistan.

It will not be wrong to declare these negotiations as a success for Pakistan. The United States is currently in a weak position and hence it is possible to make it accept some other demands as well. The United States should pay a price for withdrawal from Afghanistan. Perhaps this is the reason why attempts are being made by the United States to make General Kayani the most powerful personality in Pakistan's military history, so that he can improve the political situation in Pakistan without doing any harm to the present democratic system.

US Objectives
The US objectives are behind this whole planning and since Pakistan's military has to play the most important role in this whole planning, attempts are being made to improve and strengthen relations with the military.

Even the extremist groups are not unaware of this planning and they are preparing to play the final round of their fight. The biggest target of the extremists is the Pakistani military and that is why there has been a rise in attacks on the military. The Pakistani military also knows that the next face of the Afghan war will not be short of resistance. Let's see who will play the cards right in this game.

India-Pakistan Talks: A Review

A number of problems between Pakistan and India have been awaiting solution since the partition of the Indian-Pakistani subcontinent. Major problems among these are Kashmir, Sir Creek, distribution of water, Siachen Glacier, and now terrorism is also a problem that has contributed to widening of the gulf between the two countries.

In addition to leadership-level talks between the two countries, dialogues were also held at ministerial and secretaries level between the two countries during the last 63 years to solve the problems. During the course of time, wars were also fought, which broadened the gulf of mistrust further, and the Mumbai attacks in the year 2008 pushed the level of mistrust to an extreme end.

The latest, the foreign secretary-level talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir was held after a long time, which ended without any positive results. The Pakistani Government is making efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue and other disputes. However, the Indian Government's stance was limited to talks on terrorism only. Now, these talks again proved meaningless and serving no purpose, and became a thing of the past like those held previously.

Salman Bashir declined to hand over the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, to India, saying that it is futile to link the Hafiz Saeed issue with the dialogue process. Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao raised the terrorism issue at the talks with Salman Bashir and demanded the arrest of Hafiz Saeed because India has been the victims of terrorism attacks from the Pakistani side since a long time. India also entrusted to Pakistan a dossier of the list of 40 terrorists, but whether Pakistan would make any comment on it, is doubtful.

The manner in which the two sides were engaged in filling the blanks shows that the dialogue was held without much preparation. Those who consider this to be another failure of India's foreign policy cannot be totally dismissed. This is because our rival country, which had made India agree to talks even if that meant coming to New Delhi, seems to have been successful in claiming this to be a diplomatic victory. It could achieve this feat without changing its viewpoint after 26 November 2008.

Ministerial Level Talks
The first session of Pakistan-India ministerial level talks was held on 27 December 1962 in Rawalpindi. Pakistan was represented by Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and India by its Foreign Minister Suran Singh. These six-phase talks concerning the Kashmir issue remained inconclusive. The second phase of these talks was held in New Delhi from 16 to 19 January 1963, while the third phase from 8 to 11 February ended inconclusive in Karachi. However, it was decided to hold one more meeting in Calcutta (Kolkata) to find new ways for solution to the problem. Hence, the fourth phase of talks kicked off on 11 March in Calcutta where the proposal of Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was agreed on, saying the Kashmir problem should be solved on the basis of economy and not religion. Yet, no permanent solution to the problem was reached, and it was decided to take the matter forward and holding of another session of talks was agreed.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru once again emphasized on solution to the Kashmir and other issues. The fifth phase of ministerial-level talks began in Karachi on 22 April 1963, which ended without yielding any results. The sixth and last phase of these talks began in New Delhi on 15 May 1963, which proved unsuccessful on 16 May when Pakistan suggested making the Kashmir an international issue. In this way, these ministerial-level talks comprising six phases concluded without yielding any results.

There had been no ministerial or diplomatic contact between the two countries for almost seven years; rather, India attacked Pakistan in 1971, resulting in disintegration of the country into two parts (inception of Bangladesh); Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the Indian prime minister signed Shimla Pact thereafter.

On 31 July 1971, the Pakistan-India diplomatic staff held bilateral negotiations at Rawalpindi to bring the political situation to normalcy. On 29 November 1974, the diplomats from the two countries held negotiations at New Delhi to remove ban from the bilateral trade, imposed in 1965. On 24 January 1975, Pakistan and India signed a trade agreement at Islamabad. Negotiations on Pakistan-India trade were arranged at Karachi from 12 to 13 January 1976.

The Indian cricket team, after a 17-year gap, came to Pakistan on a two-month long tour on 24 April 1978. On 4 February 1980, Indian Foreign Secretary R.D. Sethi along with a four-member delegation came to Pakistan to hand over Indira Gandhi's letter to President Ziaul Haque, in which meetings with Pakistani Foreign Secretary S. Shah Nawaz for bringing relationships of both the countries to normalcy and situation of Afghanistan were discussed.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ghulam Ishaq Khan and his Indian counterpart Narasimha Rao held a two-phase meeting on 10 June 1981, in which discussions were made on the international situation and the bilateral relationships. Pakistan and India held negotiations on No-War Pact and bilateral relationships on 30 January 1982.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Yaqub Khan held a 50-minute meeting with his Indian counterpart Bali Ram Bhagat to discuss bilateral relationships. The second round of this meeting was held in New Delhi on the issue of Siachen Glacier.

In October 1978, the two countries arranged negotiations at Islamabad on the Wooler Barrage dispute. On 31 December 1988, multiphase meetings were held between Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her Indian counterpart Rajiv Gandhi. On 1 January 1989, Benazir Bhutto and Rajiv Gandhi signed three bilateral accords: No attack on each another, solution of bilateral taxation dispute, and cultural cooperation.

Secretary-Level Negotiations
The first round of the secretary-level negotiations between the two countries was held at Islamabad on 17 July 1990, in which Foreign Secretary Tanvir Ahmed Khan represented Pakistan, while Indian Foreign Secretary Machkana Darbe represented his country. These negotiations were of seven phases. The second round was held in New Delhi from 10 to 11 August 1990, third round in Islamabad between Pakistani Foreign Secretary Sheheryar Khan and his Indian counterpart Machkana Darbe and J.N. Dixit from 18 to 20 December 1990 and seventh round in Islamabad from 2 to 3 January 1994.

In these negotiations, which were held after a 17-month gap, nuclear nonproliferation, Kashmir, and Siachen disputes and reduction of weapons were discussed. However, these negotiations didn't bear any fruit. On 28 March 1997, Pakistan-India negotiations at the foreign secretary-level resumed in New Delhi after the lapse of three years. Shamshad Ahmed Khan represented Pakistan, while Salman Haider represented India. The second round of these talks was held in Islamabad from June 19 to 22 1997.

Negotiations at the foreign secretary-level restarted at Islamabad on 15 October 1998 after a gap of 13 months, in which Shamshad Khan represented Pakistan, while Raghunath participated from the Indian side. Discussions were made for the restoration of confidence building environment. As a result of these meetings, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan in 1999.

In 2003, the Pakistan-India contacts were restored at the foreign secretary-level, in which the India forwarded 12 suggestions for confidence building and stress was laid on the reopening of land, water and air routes. Pakistan showed positive response to almost all of the suggestions. However, it partially rejected one of the suggestions, and also imposed some conditions.

Also, in addition to this, four suggestions were presented from Pakistan's side: Increase in the number of delegation staff and starting Lahore-Amritsar bus service in place of increase in number of buses on Lahore-Delhi route were suggested. On 6 January 2004, a meeting was held between General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the SAARC leaders' conference in Islamabad where both of them agreed to hold purposeful negotiations in February for restoration of relationships.

As a result, negotiations at the secretary-level were held from 15 to 17 February 2004 in Islamabad, which broke down the three-year deadlock. The second round of these talks started in Islamabad from 27 to 28 December 2004, in which Foreign Secretary Riaz H. Kokar represented Pakistan, and from the Indian side Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran forwarded 20 suggestions for restoration of confidence over strategic and regional issues and the Kashmir dispute.

This peace process fell in jeopardy after the seven bomb explosions in Mumbai trains on 11 July 2006, in which approximately 200 people were killed. As expected, India put the responsibility of the explosions on Pakistan and talks at the foreign secretary-level were halted. And it is also said that the Pakistani diplomatic staff was deported from India. However, the deferment lasted for a very little duration and, once again, negotiations started at the foreign secretary-level in New Delhi from 14 to 15 February 2006. In the third phase of this meeting, the Khokhrapar Monabao border was opened on 1 February 2007.

An agreement was signed in March 2007 to prepare combined mechanism against terrorism. However, important, complicated and solution-seeking issues between the two countries remained unresolved. And most importantly, India kept rolling back on its own 12 suggestions that it had forwarded for confidence restoration in October 2003.

During the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting on 7 December 2007 in New Delhi, Pakistani Caretaker Foreign Minister Inamul Haq met his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and emphasized on negotiations. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Pakistan from 21 to 22 May 2008, and another meeting was held in Islamabad for the evaluation of the fourth round of Pakistan-India negotiations.

On 27 June 2008, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited India and invited his counterpart for negotiations, after which the fifth phase of negotiations at the foreign secretary-level started on 21 July 2008. Under these negotiations, friendly cooperation in various sectors was ensured and discussions were made on suggestions of availability of resources for easy issuance of visas and increasing people-to-people contacts.

Pakistan and India agreed for confidence rebuilding over the Kashmir dispute and steps for amalgamation of the divided families. However, no agreements over the Kashmir dispute and other issues came to forth.

Disastrous Point
26 November 2008 proved to be a very fatal day for the Pakistan-India peace process when approximately 170 people lost their lives in the massive terrorist activities in the Indian city of Mumbai. India held Pakistan responsible for these activities and one again the negotiation process suspended. And now India is laying stress on negotiations only over the agenda of terrorism.

And news published in various dailies show the bias that India at the moment does not want to deviate from its stance and talk about other issues. One this occasion, we are recalling/remembering these words of the Indian prime minister, which he had spoken on 12 July 2001 for war: "If India and Pakistan remain busy in peaceful and sincere bilateral negotiations for removing mutual differences, then none of the problems could linger unresolved."
Assessment
If the responsible people sitting on the negotiations tables recall these words of Vajpayee, without any doubt, peaceful environment will be established in the region, which will guarantee development of all.

The most important aspect of the 25 February talks is that Pakistan's foreign secretary came here and our foreign secretary talked to him. Even if both of them repeated their old allegations full of resentment, at least it broke the silence. It should be noted here that during the time when formal talks between the governments remain stopped, politicians on both sides spread much more hatred among their people. Before leaving, Pakistani foreign secretary extended an invitation to the Indian foreign secretary to come there. We must continue this sequence.

To conclude, I am also recalling a quote of Jawaharlal Nehru, which he had uttered soon after independence: "A prosperous and secure Pakistan would benefit India; with which (Pakistan) we can establish close and friendly relations." In the light of these words, India should not miss this opportunity at any cost. And it (India) should take such steps that help Pakistan become a stable and prosperous country, so that it also has positive impact on India.

Creation of South-Central Asian Economic Bloc

Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a joint statement recently in Islamabad. The statement is a good omen as all three countries have agreed not to interfere in each other's internal matters, and have expressed their resolve that neither country will let their respective territories to be used against each other.
Foreign ministers of the three countries released the joint statement at a press conference in Islamabad. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki, and the Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta further announced that the second trilateral summit would be held in Islamabad during the current year. In addition, meetings of interior ministers will be held in Islamabad, finance ministers in Kabul, and the intelligence chiefs in Teheran.

Joint Decision
The foreign ministers' conference also decided that the scope of the alliance would be expanded to another three neighboring countries and in this regard, foreign ministers of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will meet in Tehran. The intellectuals say that everything sans geography of a country can be changed in the world. Similarly, every material blessing in the world can be purchased, but a neighbor is such a blessing that cannot be purchased. The geography of your country will continue to exist and you will have to accept your country's neighbor.
It has been Pakistan's bad luck that relations with its neighboring countries never improved. The Kashmir issue was waged with India in 1947; four wars were fought; one of them bifurcated the county, and one wing of Pakistan became Bangladesh. The Pashtunistan imbroglio with Afghanistan started in the same year, 1947. However, this issue has never led to any war. However, relations with Afghanistan remained cold until 1975. Then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto extended a hand of friendship toward Afghanistan (President Sardar Muhammad Daud). Sardar Daud and Bhutto had agreed to form an economic bloc for regional cooperation between the two countries. Both of them met the same fate they were killed.
After 1978, Afghanistan and Pakistan were trapped in a war that has been underway for the last 31 years. From 1978 until 1990, this was a war actually between the United States and former Soviet Union, but after 1990, it turned into a war of US occupation over Afghanistan. In this war, Pakistan was declared the frontline state and is being used as a "sand bag."
Until monarchy remained in vogue in Iran, the Shah (king Raza) ruled the country. The Iranian emperor was considered to be a US agent. Until then, good relations existed between Pakistan and Iran. The US interest in the region was that both the countries remain committed to peaceful coexistence and jointly abide by the US dictates.
In 1979, a revolution took place and democracy was established in Iran. It hurt the US interests and the United States started using neighboring countries including Pakistan against Iran. Washington united Iraq, Kuwait, and other Arab states in the world and manipulated a war against Iran that lasted for eight long years. The United States also created a rift in relations between Pakistan and Iran.
China is also our neighboring country. It is the only country in the world that has helped Pakistan against all odds. The United States repeatedly perpetrated terrorism in China and attempted to shift its blame on Pakistan.
Russia is also our neighboring country. During the Cold War era, a wrong decision by then Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan turned Pakistan into a US ally against the former Soviet Union. Then, the United States used Pakistani territory against the Soviet Union. The Russian leadership is still suspicious of Pakistan and does not trust the same.
Since 1999, Pakistan has been isolated on an international level. General (retired) Pervez Musharraf's regime is known as a period of frequent failures of Pakistan on the foreign policy front. Even during the period of the incumbent democratic government, no heed has been paid to Pakistani ministers on the international level, which means that Pakistan is still confronted with international isolation.

Painstaking Task
The only panacea to bring Pakistan out of international isolation is to improve its image and credibility on a regional level. The blemish of being a US ally on Pakistan must be removed. Pakistan's entity as an independent and sovereign country must be established. This is a very painstaking task. However, an alliance comprising of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan can make positive headway in this direction.
Until 2009, the Pakistani people used to complain that the United States was using the Afghan territory against their country. The people of Iran and Afghanistan also had the same complaint that the Untied States was using the Pakistani territory against the same.
A trilateral summit of these countries (Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan) was held in Teheran in 2009, in which the said issues discussed. The foreign ministers of all three countries, during their meeting in Islamabad, pledged that they would not allow any one to use their territories against each other.

Economic Development
The Afghan Parliament by rejecting the pro-US nominees for the new cabinet of President Hamid Karzai twice has proved that Afghanistan has wakened up. Similarly, in camera session in 2009, the Pakistani parliament also raised an effective voice against the US interference. Last week, the parliamentary committee on national security released a draft memorandum, in which flaws in the foreign policy were highlighted and a halt to the US steps against the territorial integrity and security of Pakistan was demanded.
The latest Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral statement is a good omen, as it recommends the inclusion of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan into the fold of regional cooperation. It is imperative that that this trilateral alliance is turned into a regional bloc involving China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan also. It will help isolate the duo of India and the United States, and prevent their hegemony from being established in the region. It would also usher in a new era of development in the region. China has emerged as a role model of economic development in the new century.

Assessment
By adopting this model, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other neighboring countries can get rid of the West's hegemony and slavery and can also touch new heights of economic development. This is how the energy crisis in Pakistan can be overcome. It is time that the media, civil society, political parties and the Pakistani people consider to move forward "minus the United States" that is without relying on the US assistance. This sole option will guarantee the stability, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Pakistan's internal security.