It is entirely in keeping with his character and personality that Pakistan’s PM-in-waiting Nawaz Sharif should invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to his swearing-in ceremony when the Indian leader telephoned him Sunday to congratulate him on an impressive electoral victory and invited him to visit this country.
The Pakistani leader’s response should be seen as no more than underlining Punjabi hospitality, of which Mr Sharif can be said to be guilty.
Dr Singh, who is known to show the healthy instinct of going the extra mile to mend fences with Pakistan, resisted the previous PPP-led government’s urgent entreaties to visit Islamabad as a gesture of goodwill. He quite correctly took the view that wrong signals will be sent out if he visits Pakistan before tangible progress is seen in the Mumbai attacks case in Pakistan.
There is no reason to resile from this stance, although we have no doubt Mr Sharif means well. He seems genuine in his desire to enhance cooperation with India. In a recent interview to an Indian television channel he said he would revive the idea of a joint India-Pakistan investigation into the Mumbai attacks, which he had advanced when he was an Opposition leader. But this is a misplaced idea, considering that Indian and American investigations suggest that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence had a role in the background. It is doubtful Pakistan would accept this. Before Dr Singh visits Pakistan, the Nawaz Sharif government could make progress in laying bare the conspiracy that led to the 26/11 attack.