5 Questions

This week I have invited five noted scholars of the country to listen from them how they view the impending Bajpayee-Musarraf talks scheduled for next month.

The never-ending rivalries in between the two South Asian giants have not only threatened the security environment of this region but has also visibly retarded the SAARC process. To recall, the SAARC Summits have not taken place since two years or so.

Questions posed to the Nepali scholars revolve around the overall impact of such hurriedly summoned Summit meetings in between the two arch-rivals on the whole gamut of the SAARC process and easing the region from the tensions of security concerns. As was expected, all of the interviewees have expressed that such meetings do contribute not only to enhance their bilateral ties at all the possible levels but also contribute greatly to the development of the region which houses a billion of poverty stricken population.

Below the results: Chief editor.

New Delhi and Islamabad should take due cognizance of Nepal events

Prof. Ananda Aditya, Research Analyst

TGQ1: What impact do you expect in the overall 'security system' of the South Asian region when India and Pakistan will hold talks next month? Do you expect a major breakthrough after the talks?

Prof. Ananda Aditya: Keeping in view the dramatic shift in the scenario that Nepal Himalayas underwent this last week and I am sure that both New Delhi and Islamabad have taken due cognizance of this radical turn, I feel that either party will consider the violence and the volatility of the episode. It deserves and demands a certain role in the overall consideration. Ruling out Kathmandu in the context of the fast changing scene would not help in any rational discussion. However, prognosticating or speculating confidently about the possibilities begs some time be allowed for the dust to settle.

India-Pakistan Summit can help generate peace, cooperation and development in South Asia

Dev Raj Dahal, Reader T.U.

TGQ2: How the smaller non-nuclear nations of South Asia, like Nepal, B'desh and Sri Lanka, should take the Bajpayee-Musarraf talks next month? What sort of impacts such hurriedly summoned Summit will have on the region as a whole? Your exclusive comments please!

Dev Raj Dahal: The forthcoming visit of Pakistan's Chief of the Executive, General Pervez Musarraf for talks with India's Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpayee on issues of mutual interests marks a new prospect for improving the regional climate caught by tension and hostility over many thorny issues including Kashmir, nuclear proliferation and cross-border terrorism. A state of rapprochement and peace between India and Pakistan can equally build a framework of cooperation in the South Asian region as a whole and will help to resume the now stalled SAARC process muddle through. The regionalization and globalization of political economy requires some sort of cooperative framework both to craft collective identity of regional states and establish their relevance in the world markets.

National identity of each nations of South Asia becomes only meaningful if it does not contradicts with the evolving regional and global processes.

From the perspective of a small country like Nepal what can be said is that any positive initiative between India and Pakistan can generate a great expectation for the process of peace, cooperation and development in South Asia.

Once the existing reciprocal fear of each other recedes, it will help change budgetary priority from defense to development. Is this possible without tremendous concentration of political will from both the sides and focused energy? If the current initiative of this sort perseveres, it will become a plausible rationale so persuasive that the public will reap benefits from the wisdom of new statesmanship. Any improvement in Indo-Pakistan relationship, once a single component of South Asian geopolitics, then becomes an element of security for all the regional states.

SAARC minus India and Pakistan is a dead SAARC

Prof. Dr. Ram Kumar Dahal, Political Science, T.U

TGQ3: Prof. Dahal! Do you think that the impending Bajpayee-Musarraf Summit next month will ease the tension in South Asian region? Will that augur well for the whole SAARC process? Your comments please.

Prof. Dr.Dahal: The news of the forthcoming Summit between the Chief of the Executive of Pakistan, General Pervez Musarraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpayee, has brought new hopes in the whole of the South Asian region. As India and Pakistan are core elite powers in South Asia and powerful members of the SAARC regional body, it is essential to improve the deteriorating relations between them.

As the bilateral and the disputed issue could not be discussed by the SAARC forum, it is then a must to have cordial relations between these two nuclear powers even to settle their minor irritants.

Due to their continued rivalries the South Asian region has hardly seen a tension free period. As most of the States of South Asia are India centered, any dispute between these two powers affects the whole of South Asia negatively.

To put it mildly, SAARC minus India and Pakistan is a dead SAARC.

In order to resolve the existing conflict-situation, the spirit of the Lahore Declaration of February 1999 and the Conference of Parliamentarians held in Islamabad in 1999 must be encouraged in the future.

Opportunities should not be given to any one to raise suspicion or raise serious questions about the validity of Lahore Declaration and the Bus Diplomacy adopted by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpayee.

In the forthcoming Summit the two leaders should create an environment for future political dialogue and develop appropriate or regular mechanism for diplomatic and political consultations on security and foreign policy issues; regular mechanism of exchange of views between the parliamentarians of both the countries to mobilize their people's political will; mechanism for regular exchange of views between the administrators' professors' media persons, development practitioners, lawyers and judges of the two countries to improve people to people relations.

Lastly, let us hope that the Summit would become fruitful and meaningful in improving their relations or at least open a new gate for political and diplomatic consultations in the future. Let us also pray that it will bring positive impact in the whole of South Asia and betterment for the millions and millions of the inhabitants of this part of the globe.

Congratulations to both the leaders and wishing the Summit a grand success.

Holding talks with Pakistan is a wise decision of India

Professor Rabindra Khanal, Political Science, T.U

TGQ 4: How do you take, Mr. Khanal, the sudden Indian decision to hold talks with Pakistan? Does it bode well for SAARC process?

Prof. Khanal: Indian decision to hold talks with Pakistan is not a sudden move. From the day of the declaration of partisan, India and Pakistan did not only have several border confrontations with each other but also had several attempts to bring about a thaw in their inimical relationship created by the partisan. Events like Tashkent peace agreement and Shimla agreement have proved that the prospects for rapprochement is always present. But due to the growing influence of cold war, the two countries preferred to compete in winning friends abroad and rearming themselves at home which, not only increased mistrust between them but also gave opportunity to the big powers to play up with their security and sentiments. Cold war politics had no solutions to offer to their rapprochement.

After the end of cold war, India and Pakistan have been left alone in resolving their outstanding differences. Now, both these countries have gone nuclear and one wrong step they take will endanger the security of the whole region. The Kargill incident, in this context, made everyone very cautious and alarmed. Continued hostility between them does not only mean a threat of nuclear holocaust but also a threat to the economic prosperity and security for this region. India and Pakistan, themselves have to spend a lot of money for the security purpose, which they could have used to fight poverty in their respective countries. Holding talks with Pakistan is, therefore, a wise decision of India and every effort should be made to achieve a final and historic reconciliation between the two countries.

As for the SAARC process, the decision is very positive. As long as there is no peace in the region and the members cannot resolve their bilateral differences on the basis of equality, the regional organizations like SAARC have no validity for their existence. India’s decision to hold talks with Pakistan has brought back hope among the member countries to resume the process. If they really can reach to some understanding and resolve their longstanding disputes, the SAARC can go ahead without much difficulty for a long time to come.

Direct talks of this nature become outcome of internal and external compulsions

Mr. Shrish Rana, Political Analyst, Kathmandu

TGQ5: What factors, Mr. Shrish Rana, could have prompted Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpayee to initiate dialogues with Pakistan? Your remarks please!

Shrish Rana: The dialogue that is taking place is welcome. It is through such dialogue that neighbors such as the two can understand the restraints and impediments in each country towards normal relations. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpayee has, previously too, through his sudden trip to Lahore, demonstrated his willingness to conduct direct diplomacy outside also of the resort to conventional institutions responsible for this.

Chief Executive Pervez Musarraf had been calling for talks since his very assumption of power in Pakistan. Direct talks of this nature become an outcome of the internal and external compulsions of both countries who are not only geographical neighbors but also cultural, religious and historical extensions of each other.

It is diplomacy of this sort at the very apex that can transcend institutional impediments towards understandings.

Yet another initiative is to take place and this is welcome.

In the Nepali context, one can't forger that Bajpayee as the Foreign Minister had shunned traditional South Block positions to agree with Nepal on separate treaties of Trade and Transit. This had prompted rebuke from the foreign policy establishment in India. That Bajpayee is prone to such positive initiatives can't but raise hopes in Nepal. Regardless of Kargil, the Lahore initiative can't be considered a step backward in Indo-Pakistan relations. The current gesture on part of both the countries must also be considered a step forward regardless of its own immediate outcome.

The two nuclear South Asian neighbors must talk. That they are doing so can only be viewed positively.

More directly for us, one hopes the meet acknowledges the compulsions and the immediacy of revitalizing the SAARC movement.

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