INDIA and Pakistan have long been wedded to cricket diplomacy. Talks between the two countries are reported to be back on the agenda coinciding with the first World Cup match at Adelaide. Bilateral talks had been put on ice in August last year following the Pakistan High Commissioner meeting the Hurriyat leaders. The ice was broken somewhat when the Prime Ministers of the two countries parleyed at the SAARC summit in Dhulikhal. Subsequently, Narendra Modi rang up to commiserate with Nawaz Sharif over the gruesome murder of school children at Peshawar. His condemnation struck a responsive chord in the Pakistan Prime Minister. A glimmer of hope arises from the fact that the Indian National Security Advisor and foreign secretary are going to sign the condolence book at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Resumption of bilateral talks is welcome. The political scene in Delhi has changed and so has the global outlook on Pakistan. But India does not want to talk at any cost. The NDA government is determined to retaliate against any border firing by Pakistan.
The American attitude to Pakistan has changed which matters most. Powerful US Congressmen want drastic change in American policy to ensure that Pakistan engages in the war on terrorism. It is encouraging that the Pakistan Army Chief has cracked down on the Pakistan Taliban. In Kashmir, PDF Chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has welcomed bilateral talks as it is trying hard to form a government with the BJP in the state. Pinpricks like Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif telling President Obama that India should not be given a permanent seat in the UN Security Council as it flouted the Council resolution in 1947 asking for a referendum in Kashmir should not cause serious concern. Both India and Pakistan know that the resolution should be consigned to the dustbin of history.
