Hope and despair

Sunita Vakil

Will the adventurist diplomacy indulged in by India pave the way for improving bilateral ties between the two countries or prove to be a wildgoose chase?

Given the roller coaster trajectory of Indo-Pakistan relations, it would be pertinent to quote Goethe: “in all things it is better to hope than to despair.” At a time when the relations between the two neighbours have got into a rut, Dr Manmohan Singh’s cricket diplomacy coinciding with the resumption of full spectrum dialogue after a hiatus of 27 months, has once again led to soaring of expectations on both sides of the border.

As of now, the dialogue process is caught in the cusp between hope and despair. Indeed, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s yet another olive branch to Pakistan is laudable seeking to create an atmosphere of goodwill. However, whether the occasion achieves any tangible results or ends with a whimper remains to be seen.

Certainly, the Indian PM deserves appreciation for initiating a bold step and extending a good gesture.

By cashing in on the opportunity to give peace yet another chance he has made a positive move in the interest of improving relations between the two neighbours. It is a big step forward especially when the relationship between the two countries has hit a new low post the Indian Embassy bombing in Kabul and the Mumbai attack in 2008.

Indeed, Dr. Singh’s overtures signal that he has not given up on Pakistan and wants to give dialogue with Islamabad one more chance.

His statement ‘cricket has been a unifying factor’ demonstrated his commitment to making inroads in this vexed relationship.

While many believe that such bouts of cricket diplomacy have had a limited impact in dispelling the clouds of mutual distrust, no one can seriously argue that the resumption of dialogue between the two countries could hardly have waited indefinitely.

True, the recent history of talks between the two neighbours is not very encouraging.

But for all that, there is no recourse except for India to engage with Pakistan to sort out contentious issues between the two countries.

So, there is no realistic alternative to dialogue. One hopes the move will remove the knots in bilateral relations.

But in our efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan, it would be a folly to get swayed away too much.

Of course, we have been here several times before. Right from Tashkent (1966), Shimla (1972) to Lahore (1999) to Agra (2001), we have been swamped by high hopes of a breakthrough followed by deep disappointments.

This is also not the first time that cricket is being used to boost the ties between the two countries. General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf too indulged in cricket diplomacy.

While Dr. Singh went overboard when he said “Gilani Sahab and I have had extensive discussions on all outstanding issues and we have reaffirmed our resolve that there are difficulties on the way but we will make every honest effort to overcome those difficulties,” it is difficult to digest such hyperbole.

It is anybody’s guess as to how far the voices of sanity will travel and whether they will be heard in Islamabad.

Moreover, cricket diplomacy is no magic wand that can suddenly transform the long strained India-Pakistan relations into one of warmth and understanding.

The need of the hour is to sort out long standing issues in a spirit of give and take. Quoting an Italian proverb ‘the man who lives only by hope will die with despair’, now there must be efforts to exploit the goodwill and seize upon initiatives already taken. The next few months will show whether the new beginning at Mohali is a new dawn of hope or a winter of despair.