General pushes for J&K troop cut; PM defers it, cautiously

While Musharraf delivered some barbs on Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly last afternoon, Singh responded in kind today with strong formulations on terrorism.

While the two leaders jointly declared their commitment to carry the peace process forward, pressures on them to posture to their domestic audiences appear to have acquired a political dynamic of their own.

Briefing the press this morning on Singh-Musharraf talks, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran confirmed that the question of Indian troop withdrawal came up in the talks between Singh and Musharraf.

While not ruling out troop cuts a few months down the road, the Indian side insisted that steps in that direction will come only when a clear declining trendline on infiltration and violence is established.

Outlining India’s assessment of terrorism on the ground situation in Kashmir, Saran said there was a ‘‘spurt in June and July’’. While indications are that infiltration has come down in August, Saran asked, ‘‘unless you see certain trends emerging over a period of time, how do you come to a judgment?’’.

After nearly four hours of talks over dinner that ended only after midnight, the two leaders issued a banal joint statement welcoming the progress so far in the peace process.

However, the infectious enthusiasm that marked the two earlier encounters between the leaders—last September here in New York and April in Delhi—was conspicuous by its absence. There was no hiding the disappointment in the Pakistani delegation which was looking for a major Indian gesture on Kashmir in response to Musharraf’s efforts on curbing cross-border terrorism.

While Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran described the talks ‘‘frank and candid’’, Pakistani sources called them as ‘‘tense and argumentative’’.

The arguments centered around India’s concerns on continuing cross-border violence and Pakistan’s need to show ‘‘progress’’ on Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh told Musharraf that continuing violence in Kashmir ‘‘will make it difficult to sustain popular support’’ for the peace process in India.

Musharraf, in turn, pointed to the steps he had taken to curb cross-border terrorism and he too needs to show ‘‘progress’’ on Kashmir at home.

That the domestic political imperatives on Singh and Musharraf were beginning to take a toll on the peace process was revealed when Musharraf addressed the United Nations

General Assembly yesterday a couple of hours before joining Singh for dinner.

While Musharraf avoided the earlier practice of slamming India’s human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, he signaled his impatience at India’s reluctance take steps on Kashmir.

Bracketing the Kashmir with Palestine, Musharraf insisted that ‘‘resolutions of the United Nations, especially Security Council’s decisions, must be implemented’’.

Referring to Musharraf’s Kashmir remarks at the UNGA, Singh told the Pakistani President the importance of ‘‘maintaining a positive atmosphere free of contention’’ to ensure the success of the peace process.

In his own address to the UNGA today, Singh joined the issue. He declared, ‘‘India faced cross-border terrorism directed against its unity and territorial integrity. We shall never succumb to a compromise with terror, in Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere’’.

While the hurriedly drafted joint statement from Singh and Musharraf last night, repeated all the earlier mutually agreed formulations on terrorism and Kashmir, it did not reaffirm one important political assertion from their April meeting in Delhi—that ‘‘the peace process was now irreversible’’.

Singh and Musharraf discussed the disputes over Siachen and Sir Creek but gave no indication of forward movement on the two issues, on which new proposals were exchanged earlier this month.

Singh also took up the issue of Saribjit Singh with Musharraf and underlined the ‘‘emotions it had generated in India’’. While pointing to legal considerations that he must take into account, Musharraf promised to deal with the issue in a ‘‘humanitarian manner’’.