Next stop, Dhaka

In every peace process, there is a moment when forward movement stops and there is an inching backwards. India and Pakistan, finding themselves at such a juncture this week, have thankfully avoided a slide back. While there was no major breakthrough in their talks, the two foreign secretaries — India’s Shyam Saran and Pakistan’s Riaz Khokkar — did just enough to keep the ball in play. They offered each other reassurances on the basic assumptions of the peace process. Pakistan suspects India might not be serious about resolving the question of Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi worries Islamabad is dragging its feet on the normalisation of bilateral ties through confidence building measures (CBMs). In their joint statement, Saran and Khokkar recalled “the solemn and categoric” commitment of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pervez Musharraf this January to move forward on all fronts.

On J&K, the two sides agreed to act on the promise by Manmohan Singh and Musharraf in September to “explore all options” for a peaceful settlement of J&K. Dispelling the wrong perception in Pakistan that India was reluctant to move forward on J&K, Saran — in a new proposal — offered to facilitate contact between the divided families of the state at five points along the LoC and the International Border. Pakistan’s response to this welcome move from India is awaited. On its part, Islamabad has apparently ended its stalling on conventional military CBMs. As a result, the two military establishments will now expand contacts and explore additional CBMs. Saran and Khokkar also discussed the long over-due procedures for humane treatment of prisoners and straying fishermen.

All this talk is to the good. But the proof the pudding is in the eating. An agreement on prior notification of ballistic missile flight tests has been elusive. The tangle on travel documents for the proposed bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad across the LoC in J&K remains unresolved. It is now up to the two prime ministers to sort out the wrangling over the eagerly anticipated bus service when they meet in Dhaka, on the margins of next month’s South Asian Summit. Unless there are some quick agreements, the Indo-Pak engagement will remain vulnerable to unexpected developments and ill-conceived political statements. Worse, lack of visible progress will strengthen cynics who are always ready to undermine the peace process.