New Delhi, December 21
India-Pakistan relations were yet again marked by two-steps-forward-two-steps-backward syndrome today as Islamabad took hard positions on Sir Creek and Munabao-Khokhrapar rail service which are at variance with New Delhi’s stand.
Islamabad broadened the Sir Creek issue by coming with a new position that the Joint Survey of the 96 km estuary between Gujarat and Sind be undertaken along with the demarcation of the international maritime boundary.
This proposal came up on the second and last day of the technical-level talks on Sir Creek issue today. Pakistan did not agree to the Indian stand that the Sir Creek issue be resolved first and then the question of settling the international maritime boundary should be taken up.
The “second step backwards” has come up through the diplomatic channels on Munabao-Khokhrpar train service, which was tentatively scheduled to start from January 1, 2006. The new position taken up by Islamabad makes it highly unlikely that the second rail link between India and Pakistan could start in the month of January in the first place.
Pakistan has said that it will not allow crossing of the trains into each other’s territory and the same modus operandi as practised in the case of Srinagar-Muzaffrabad bus service will have to be followed in case of the Munabao-Khokhrapar train service.
The Indian side has remonstrated saying that it would cause a lot of inconvenience to passengers as, unlike bus travellers, train passengers travel with much more luggage.
But Islamabad remains unflinching on the issue. The technical-level talks, which were to take place later this month on the Munabao-Khokhrapar bus service, have yet to be scheduled.
The Sir Creek issue seems to have been given a burial for now and the issue has gone far beyond the scope and jurisdiction of the Surveyor-Generals of the two countries.
Things were moving in the right direction till yesterday. The Pakistani side exploded the bombshell of its hardened position this morning. The Pakistani side did not return for talks after the two-hour-long discussions which had hit a visible roadblock. Even the
‘minutes of the meeting have been left for signing tomorrow when the Pakistani delegation returns home.The two sides released a ten-line Joint Statement after the Sir Creek talks as follows: “In pursuance of the understanding reached during the Foreign Minister level meeting in Islamabad on October 3-4, 2005, the Indian and Pakistani delegations met in New Delhi on 20-21 December, 2005 to formulate the terms of reference for carrying out the Joint Survey of the Sir Creek. The Indian delegation was led by Brig. Girish Kumar, Deputy Surveyor General, and the Pakistani delegation was led by Maj Gen Jamil-ur-Rehman Afridi, Surveyor General of Pakistan. The two sides held constructive and fruitful discussions. They will report to their respective governments on the discussions.”
The operative portion of the Joint Statement is the last line which makes it clear that the differences between the two sides were such that the problem would have to be dealt with at much higher political levels in the two countries. That is why the Joint Statement does not make any commitment as to when the next technical-level meeting would take place on the Sir Creek issue.
