IRS Regional Brief Institute of Regional Studies – Islamabad
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
IRS Regional Brief Vol. 3 / 2007 India-Pakistan Peace Process Shaheen Akhtar Research Fellow Afghanistan Arshi Saleem Hashmi Research Analyst Institute of Regional Studies – Islamabad 1 IRS India-Pakistan Peace Process Regional August-September 2007 Brief Shaheen Akhtar Although the peace process has slowed down, yet the talks on different issues taken up in the composite dialogue have continued. In the August-September period, talks were held on the issues of maritime cooperation (9-10) August and Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project (30-31) August. With the discussions on the Wullar issue, the fourth round of the composite dialogue process stands closed and opens for political review. While the Manmohan Singh government has displayed remarkable restraint and refrained from commenting on India-Pakistan Pakistan’s political situation, New Delhi did try to capitalize Peace Process on Islamabad’s domestic problems. This was quite evident in India’s decision to throw open the disputed Siachen heights for trekking and mountaineering, revive work on the Wullar Barrarge/Tulbul Navigation project and step up allegations of cross-LoC infiltration. India and Pakistan also levelled allegations against each other for initiating arms race in the region. In a report published in the daily Hindu, India expressed apprehensions that US weapons being supplied to Pakistan could be used against it in the event of a war. Citing a study conducted by a Washington-based think tank, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, “This [security] assistance is often justified as playing a critical role in the war on terrorism, whereas, in reality, the weapons systems are often ‘prestige items’ to help Pakistan in the event of a war with India.”(1) Pakistan, however, made it clear that it has no aggressive designs against anyone, including India. The Foreign Office spokesperson underscored that Pakistan’s defence programme was defensive in nature. She pointed out that Indian’s current year defence budget stood at $ 24 billion with 20 per cent increase over the last year. India also has plans to make defence purchases worth $ 30 billion in the next 10 years and has recently issued tenders for the purchase of 126 combat aircraft for $ 10 billion.(2) This indicates that it is India in fact that is pursuing arms race in the region. Pakistan also protested with India and UK over their announcement for initiating joint war games in the disputed area of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. The two are also planning to conduct joint exercise on the Siachen glacier.(3) Despite Pakistan’s protests, Indian and British troops went http://www.irs.org.pk/PublRegionalBrief.htm 2 ahead with the war games. The troops which included nearly 120 men from Britain and nearly 140 from India, are training at an altitude of between 4,900 metres and 5,800 metres and are also sharing their experiences of battling “terrorism” in Kashmir and Afghanistan. Similar war games involving Indian and US troops were held last year in Ladakh.(4) Pakistan-India Maritime Talks The maritime talks between Indian Coast Guard and Pakistani Maritime Security Agency were held in New Delhi on 9-10 August. The two sides discussed the issues pertaining to violation of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) by fishermen, procedures for their repatriation along with their boats, pollution incidents and response, maritime search, rescue, natural disasters, exchange of information on smuggling and trafficking. The two agencies also discussed various modalities of dealing with violations of EEZ. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to provide help to mariners in distress and carry out coordinated search and rescue operations. They also showed interest in information sharing. This included information regarding the number of fishermen and boats in custody on either side as well as the modalities of releasing fishermen whose identities have been established as well as their fishing boats were also discussed.(5) The talks signified positive movement in maritime cooperation between the two countries. The talks were held under the purview of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 3 October 2005 which had approved a hotline between chiefs of the two agencies. The hotline was established on 14 November 2006. The MoU stipulates that the heads of the two organizations meet once a year alternately in India and Pakistan to review the progress in implementing the MoU. Talks on Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project India and Pakistan failed to make any headway in the talks on the Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation project held in New Delhi on 30-31 August. During the talks both sides reiterated their respective positions on the issue. Pakistan asserted that it was a natural lake and man-made storage could not be built on it as it would interfere with the flow of the Jhelum river, allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Pakistan asked India to abandon the Wullar Barrage project as it was not consistent with the IWT. Pakistan Secretary, Ministry of Water and Power, Muhammad Ismail Qureshi, contended that previously India had presented the project as a regulating structure. Now it had taken the position (6) that it was a navigational lock. Qureshi observed that the http://www.irs.org.pk/PublRegionalBrief.htm 3 proposed Indian project would interfere with the flow of water, affecting the agriculture and power sectors in Pakistan.(7) Conversely, India asked Pakistan to withdraw its objections to the project saying that the proposed navigational locks were not in violation of the IWT. India’s Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz stated that Pakistan’s observation that India was trying to build a barrage at Wullar was a “complete misnomer” as barrages were meant for diverting the flow of water which was not the case here. “We want to build navigational locks so that water level is maintained at 4.5 feet for navigational purposes.”(8) He argued that the level of water had to be maintained at 4.5 feet during winters to allow navigation on the river, which was barred by the IWT. The joint statement issued at the end of the talks tried to give a positive impression and referred the matter to the technocrats, besides continuing the secretary-level talks. The two sides also agreed to set up a technical-level mechanism to move on the issue. This is the first time that the two sides have agreed on such a mechanism. The Pakistan team visited the Wullar lake area in March 2007 to inspect the project’s site and progress on downstream power projects like Uri-II. India started the Wullar Barrage/Tulbal Navigation Project in 1984 but the work was halted in 1987 after Pakistan raised objections. Now, India is insisting on reviewing work on the project. Meanwhile, India has drawn up an extensive plan to utilize the water of the Jehlum. Saifuddin Soz has asked the IHK government to take immediate steps for exploiting the navigational potential of the river, the only river that flows through the Kashmir Valley. He underscored that the navigational potential of the Jhelum had been highlighted by expert committees including the Inland Water Transport Committee which had stated around 170km stretch of “Jhelum river has excellent potential for navigation.” The minister said in 1999, Railway India Technical Engineering Services (RITES) conducted a survey and found that the 27km stretch from Pampore in Pulwama district to Chatabal in Srinagar district were ideal for navigational purposes. The RITES concluded that “the returns will be ten times the investments into this project.” Soz said the navigational project would be a cheap and pollution-free mode of transportation besides a tourist attraction which could help in reviving the culture of the Valley. The Wullar Lake feeding the Jhelum river and filling Pakistan’s Mangla Dam is Asia’s largest freshwater reservoir. As the two countries quarrel over whether the barrage on the lake is illegal storage or not, the lake according to Soz has shrunk from 202 square kilometres to 30 square kilometers. http://www.irs.org.pk/PublRegionalBrief.htm 4 Meanwhile, work on the Baglihar hydro-electric project along the river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir is nearing completion. Engineers at the project have reported to have completed 90 per cent of technical works. They maintain that the delay in the commissioning of the project was due to civil works on the dam site. At present, 6,000 workers are executing the project. They include technical experts, engineers and labourers.(9) Fishermen/civilians released India and Pakistan exchanged prisoners on the occasion of their 60th independence anniversaries. The two sides had agreed to release by 14 August all civilian prisoners whose national identity was confirmed and verified and who had completed their sentences. India released 72 Pakistani prisoners including 48 fishermen who had strayed across the maritime boundary into India. Pakistan handed over 134 Indian prisoners, including two women and 100 fishermen, to India. Pakistan was expecting India to release 150 civilian prisoners whose national status was confirmed and the Pakistan High Commission had even issued their travel documents, but the Indian authorities did not do so. Hence, Pakistan urged India to release 62 of its nationals languishing in Indian jails and rejected its claim that the prisoners were not freed because Pakistan had failed to verify their nationality.(10) According to an estimate, more than 3,000 prisoners from both sides have been released over the past four years. Cross-border truck service Pakistan and India started cross-border truck service on 1 October under an agreement. Earlier, the two sides agreed on the modalities allowing cross-border movement of trucks upto the designated points at Wagah/Attari and decided the service would be operational by 1 October.