Pakistani and Indian establishments've begun making efforts to save the process of composite dialogue through back channel diplomacy.
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani and the Indian establishments have begun making clandestine efforts to save the process of composite dialogue through back channel diplomacy. According to sources, the back channel diplomacy has been brought back in action by India and Pakistan as a sense of disillusionment was beginning to set in about the composite dialogue process between the two countries, especially after the failure of the Indo-Pak dialogue on the contentious issue of the troops’ withdrawal from Siachein.
The diplomatic circles claim that the India’s delegate for the back channel talks, Indian Security Board (ISB) Chairman S K Lamba, has reached Abu Dhabi while the Pakistani point man Tariq Aziz, Secretary National Security Council (NSC) and a close aide of General Pervez Musharraf, is already in the United Arab Emirates.
The sources said the immediate agenda of the clandestine Gulf talks between the representatives of Manmohan singh and Musharraf is to ensure that the Indian premier visits Pakistan in October or November this year. The Indo-Pak establishments believe a visit at this point would give an impetus to the sluggish peace process just as General Musharraf’s trip to India in April 2005 did. Manmohan Singh’s reluctance to visit Pakistan even 14 months after having accepted the invitation remains of the major causes of disappointment.
The sources said Tariq Aziz had a marathon meeting with General Musharraf at his Presidential camp office in Rawalpindi on Friday. And S K Lamba too is believed to have sought guidance from Singh before proceeding to the UAE.
The diplomatic sources said if the fresh back channel efforts prove successful, open diplomacy would be at work and both the missions in Islamabad and New Delhi will be activating their special contacts with their respective hosts. The communications would help the schedule of various level talks for July/August. If the process of negotiations remains intact, the sources added, it would not only pave the way for high-profile visits to each other country but would also help in easing the situation on Kashmir dispute through reciprocal gestures from New Delhi.
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