Pak President Asif Ali Zardari’s impending “private” visit to India to the Ajmer Sharif dargah is understandably generating tremendous interest on either side of the border. But, seasoned diplomats aren’t too optimistic about the outcome of the meeting between the Pak President and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
For, they note that New Delhi is extending President Zardari the courtesy due to any visiting head of state and a meeting with the PM is not the format for expecting any substantive results.
President Zardari will be landing in Delhi on Sunday, April 8. The PM has invited him for lunch at his 7 Race Course road residence prior to which the two leaders will be holding a meeting.
For now, Islamabad has informed New Delhi that President Zardari will be accompanied by a 40-member delegation. This will include, in all likelihood, Pak interior minister Rahman Malik. Also coming along will be other family members of Mr Zardari though neither of his three children are expected to be coming along.
During his meeting with the PM, the two sides are expected to discuss, in diplomatic parlance, “all issues of mutual interest”. Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal says about the forthcoming meeting, “It is not the format for any substantive results. It is the format, at best, for sharing views and expressing a vision on where the relationship is headed.” Said another foreign secretary, Salman Haidar, “It cannot be treated as a negotiating visit nor one that will address important items of business directly. But it does provide a meeting ground for the two leaders to generate goodwill and to create momentum to address issues like Kashmir and terrorism.”
He added, “the atmospherics can change for the better” while noting at the same time that the meeting “wouldn’t be a time for specifics on matters where there have been differences of views. But there could be a readiness to look at issues across the board.”
Mr Sibal said that what will eventually be important are discussions under the composite dialogue process which he noted “can’t be short-circuited.” The composite dialogue process came to a grinding halt after the Mumbai attacks.