Letters: Let's get real

Expectations from the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the Ufa, Russia, were anyway low, given the belligerence of Pakistani leaders, including the defence minister, and flip-flops from India on how to deal with its neighbour. Thus even an agreement on a meeting of the two countries' national security advisors, directors-general of Border Security Force and Pakistani Rangers and directors-general of military operations of the two countries is being considered a breakthrough. While the BJP leadership's euphoria over this "development" is understandable, a plain reading of the joint statement, replete with typical diplomatic platitudes, does not yield anything exciting.

There is no firm commitment by Sharif to bring to justice Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, currently out on bail, except agreeing to discuss ways to expedite the latter's trial. Pakistan's refusal to hand over Lakhvi's voice sample or ban Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a front of the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba which is behind the Mumbai attacks, because of "lack of evidence", are other signs of its lack of will. It is no secret that the country's political leadership is not free to act in such matters, without clearance from its hawkish military establishment. We should, therefore, be realistic about expecting anything from symbolic engagements between the two nations.

S K Choudhury, Bengaluru

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