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| Musharraf seeks peacemaker's role in Indo-Pak ties |
| BS Reporter / New Delhi Mar 09, 2009, 00:33 IST |
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Though out of uniform and office, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf still nurses the hope to play a role in the peace process between India and Pakistan. Speaking at an Assocham meet today, Musharraf expressed hope that he could help “bring peace between India and Pakistan”. Speaking at a different event a day earlier, he had said he wanted to be the “third umpire” to resolve the disputes between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Musharraf’s statements come in the backdrop of the recent remarks made by Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, who was foreign minister in the Musharraf regime, that negotiations between India and Pakistan over Siachen and Sir Creek were at an advanced stage and that could have set the stage for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute. However, the tailspin in Pakistan’s domestic politics put paid to these plans.
According to Kasuri, India and Pakistan were following a four-point agenda to address Kashmir: demilitarisation, regionalisation, joint mechanism and self-government. Musharraf may further push for this formula if he indeed becomes the “third umpire.”
The 21st century is the age of “geo-economics” and for South Asia to be a part of the success story of the “Asian century”, India and Pakistan “must resolve all their disputes”, said Musharraf.
The resolution of all outstanding disputes would lead to intra-regional trade within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) becoming vibrant. So far, while East Asia powers ahead due to an effective trade bloc in the form of ASEAN, South Asia has been left behind due to India-Pakistan tension, he added.
“When I was at helm of affairs, Pakistan widened the import list from 200 items to over 1,400 items, and in the future, this list should further broad-base so that free flow of trade takes place both for India and Pakistan within their geographical boundaries in a broader manner,” Musharraf said.
A strong Saarc would lead to strong trade ties between South Asia and other regions such as Central Asia and West Asia. With its geo-strategic location, Pakistan is indispensable for this regional integration to materialise, highlighted Musharraf.
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