UNITED NATIONS, Sep 28: As the India-US summit is now over, all the attention is currently focused on the parleys between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif.
The Indo-Pak talks, being held tomorrow on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here, were viewed as the last chance for the Indian leader and the first chance for the Pakistani premier for reviving the stalled process between the neighbours.
Despite the keen interest the bilateral talks evoked, expectations about their outcome were low.
In fact, Dr Singh himself played down the significance of the meeting and described Pakistan as ‘still the epicenter of terror’ following a terrorist attack this week, when 12 Indians were killed in Jammu-Kashmir, besides three Pakistan infiltrators were shot dead by security forces.
Mr Sharif was more hopeful and said the meeting would make a ‘new beginning’ in the subcontinent.
The Pakistani leader said he would ‘pick up the threads which he left in 1999’, when he as the then Prime Minister met his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee.
In his latest interview with a Pakistani TV channel, Mr Sharif noted his wish to bring closer the two countries — a stance he repeatedly maintained in the run up to his re-election in May and afterwards.
“I will try to bridge the distance between Pakistan and India during my meeting with Manmohan Singh,” Mr Sharif said.
He echoed similar sentiments when he addressed the UN General Assembly yesterday.
“Pakistan and India can prosper together, and the entire region would benefit from our co-operation,” he stressed.
Despite such optimism, severe hurdles remain for promoting cross-border peace. People-to-people contacts have improved and barriers to trade and travel were steadily being removed. However, security systems on both sides of the border — especially on the Pakistani side — remain cautious.
Though the army — the most powerful Pakistan establishment — expressed its view to maintain non-interference in Government affairs, it is always viewed with suspicion not only within the country but also outside of it.
There were staunch supporters for the bilateral talks. The UN and Washington were among them.
“I will strongly welcome and continue to provide my own support and efforts to facilitate such a dialogue,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose organisation has always favoured a bilateral dialogue, said before the General Assembly session earlier this month.
In Washington, senior Obama administration officials extended backing to the peace process in the subcontinent. (UNI)
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