Manmohan Singh’s masterstroke, a winning shot

The home secretaries of India and Pakistan reached an agreement on Tuesday with such speed that it is difficult to believe the two countries had resumed their bilateral dialogue, suspended after the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, only six weeks ago.

Had it not been for the cricket World Cup, it is likely the meeting would have gone the way of other such meetings, with unsmiling bureaucrats making
incremental progress, if any.
Even now, it is possible that Indian investigators visiting Pakistan may not make headway.

Yet, given Islamabad’s previous cussedness, the exchange of commissions is nothing less than a breakthrough in the overall context of bilateral relations, and the credit must go to prime minister (PM) Manmohan Singh.

When Dr Singh invited his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, to watch the World Cup semi-final in Mohali, he took the foreign policy and strategic establishment by surprise. Perhaps, at times, it is
necessary to bypass the mandarins.

It seemed uncharacteristic for the mild-mannered PM, though his desire for a legacy (along with the Indo-US nuclear deal) of peace between India and Pakistan is no secret.

Sceptics saw his invitation as a move to lessen the pressure from his scam-hit government; some saw it, given the recently flurry of WikiLeaks revelations, as another example of his appeasing the Americans. We, however, see it as a brilliant tactical move, based on a genuine desire for peace with our neighbour.

The invitation created an atmosphere, and that
environment enabled Tuesday’s agreements. We welcome the PM’s initiative. And no matter what
happens in Mohali — on the pitch or in the VIP box — the PM has demonstrated statesmanship that appears rare in our currently roiling world.