President Musarraf's January 12 address

If one were to analyze the Pakistani President Pervez Musarraf's last Saturday's oration made to the nation, what could be easily guessed is that in doing so the President wished to send messages to all corners of the world including the Indian establishment. Whether he did so simply to bag accolades from India and the developed West or he meant on what he said would have to be watched. However, the fact is that President Musarraf did so immediately after he had exhibited his longing for peace at the tension ridden Indo-Pak borders and subsequently in the South Asian region at time of the just concluded SAARC XI in Kathmandu wherein he had all of a sudden made this fervent appeal in front of the Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Bajpayee.

The manner the Pakistani President has assured his national population and beyond that he will now not tolerate the extra-political activities of some dubious organizations who day in day out indulge in activities that only contribute to the propagation of hatred among different religions and also encourage terrorist activities both within and without. In the process the President banned some organizations that the Pakistani State considered to have exceeded their stipulated functions.

That the Indian establishment has taken President Musarraf's fresh address to the nation in good humor gets reflected from the fact that the former apparently wishes to give some more time to the President in order to examine the latter's determination in materializing his words into deeds. Whether the Pakistan President did so to ease the tension at the international borders is still uncertain.

Nevertheless, how India takes President Musarraf's speech and what the Pakistani president says in his national address though directly not affect Nepal and the rest of the smaller nations of the region, but still any conciliatory gestures either from the Indian or from the Pakistani side does have a positive impact in practically all smaller nations belonging to this part of the world in the sense that the region becomes tension free. Conversely, if there is any conflict in between the two declared sworn enemies, the impact is felt in the entire region. More so, the fear and anxiety gets doubled when the population of the smaller nations of the region are given to understand that the two arch rivals remain now equipped with nuclear arsenals. How the Indo-Pak conflict has been affecting the overall growth of the SAARC process as a movement is perhaps not a thing which we should remind our knowledgeable readers. The fact stands tall.

Nepal has reasons to rejoice if the two South Asian giants resume talks aimed at easing the existing tensions at their borders. It is Nepal and Nepal only that has felt the greatest negative impact of the Indo-Pak rivalry for reasons unknown to us. By and large it is their conflict and why should Nepal be penalized for their never ending conflict? Knowingly or even unknowingly, we the Nepalese at times become a party to their never-ending conflict. In effect, we the Nepalese have neither to gain nor loose from their hostility. It is their fight and let them settle their conflict. How they sort out their bilateral discord is not our business. Our business if any should be guided by a genuine desire to see the institutionalization of permanent peace in the region which would only be possible when the two nations arrive at a permanent solution to the cause of their friction. All that we can is to wish the two countries having better friendly relations in order the region takes a sigh of permanent relief and the possible danger of yet another round of war in between the two is capped once and for all. Fortunately enough, the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia during her Kathmandu sojourn at time of the SAARC XI Summit is reported to have conveyed both the Indian and the Pakistani leaders of the smaller nation's concerns and supposedly urged both the leaders to sort out their bilateral differences in an amicable manner. In the same vein the Sri Lankan President Chandrika is also learnt to have hinted both India and Pakistan to settle their longstanding differences and free the South Asian region from the likelihood of the possible fourth war in between the two nations.

Perhaps it is this wish that is of late prompting both United States and Britain to impress upon both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint at the moment. By the same token it could be the wish of other peace loving nations as well that too wish a tension free South Asia. It is in this light the impending visit of the  US Secretary of State Colin Powel to India should be taken. To recall, the British Prime Minister has already visited Pakistan and India and urged both to exercise utmost restraint in the conduct of their relations with each other.

Finally, as good friends of both India and Pakistan we urge them not to rush to any frightening conclusion that threatens the security environment of the region whose impact will definitely be felt elsewhere as well. Let us hope that wisdom prevails on both the sides.

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