President George Bush pays his first visit to South Asia in the first week of March. After spending three days in India he will head for Islamabad where he will probably spend a day. US policies in recent days have alienated public opinion in both India and Pakistan. The US attack on Iraq, its threats to Iran and its attempts to place unacceptable preconditions on India for implementing the July 18 Agreement that Bush signed with Dr. Manmohan Singh pledging that nuclear sanctions on India would be lifted, have not been well received by Indian public opinion. But, despite this, there is recognition in New Delhi that Washington has been helpful in supporting India's policies on Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Further, there is now a growing recognition in Washington that Pakistani terrorist groups like the Lashkar e taiba have to be dealt with firmly as they have close links with the Taliban and Al Qaeda who are sworn enemies of the USA .
While General Musharraf continuously claims that Pakistan is America's most steadfast ally in the Islamic world in the US "War on Terrorism", public anger against the United States is deeply rooted in Pakistan. This anger was evident in demonstrations that were held across Pakistan when the Americans attacked a suspected Al Qaeda hideout in South Waziristan on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, killing a number of innocent civilians. More recently, American interests have been targeted and flags burnt in demonstrations in Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Karachi by mobs protesting against denigration of Prophet Mohammed in the western media. But the Americans have been unapologetic about attacks they carry out across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. There is also now growing public anger in the United States that Taliban leaders are living in Pakistan and directing attacks including suicide bombings on American forces in Afghanistan. Theseattacks are likely to increase in summer. Despite this, the Americans continue to support General Musharraf, believing that he is the person best suited to act in their interests in Pakistan.
While India should avoid focusing too heavily on India-Pakistan relations when Bush is in India, it is inevitable that he will take considerable interest in the ongoing Indo-Pakistan Peace Process. He will try and get us to consider proposals made by General Musharraf on "self-governance" and "demilitarization" in Jammu and Kashmir. He will try his best to get us to make some positive gesture to help General Musharraf in positively considering proposals made by Pakistan's military ruler. New Delhi has dealt rather unimaginatively with proposals made by General Musharraf.
One hopes that Dr. Manmohan Singh will make it clear that Musharraf's proposals appear to be aimed at either dividing Jammu and Kashmir on communal lines or in seeking "Joint Control" of the Kashmir valley by India and Pakistan. As a secular country we cannot accept any division of any state in India on communal lines. We also cannot agree to any change of existing borders. Bush should also be told that we look forward to Musharraf first granting a measure of self-governance in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and in the Northern Areas of Kashmir (Gilgit and Baltistan) before we jointly explore issues of "self governance" and "demilitarization". The Americans know and acknowledge Pakistan's role in promoting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India. Bush should be told that repetition of terrorist attacks like those in Delhi and Bangalore could disrupt the peace process.
The Bush Administration recognizes that while India is a stable democracy whose economy is growing rapidly, Pakistan remains an unstable country lacking a democratic infrastructure. There is also recognition in Washington that Islamic extremism has deep roots in Pakistan, with the military establishment there supporting groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan and radical Wahhabi oriented Sunni groups within Pakistan that are ready to wage Jihad against India. Thus, while American regard India as a partner for dealing with crises situations like the Tsunami and with potential instability in the oil rich Persian Gulf region where over three and half million Indians reside, Pakistan is looked upon as country that has to be prevented from proceeding on the path of extremism. It is for India to take advantage of its own strengths and potential in dealing with President Bush when he visits New Delhi next month.
G. Parthasarathy is a former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. This article, in its Hindi translation, appears in the Outlook Saptahik dated March 6, 2006.
