Ikramullah The Indian political leadership, including their prime minister and interior minister, have once again started harping on (as they normally do) the need for normalising relations with Pakistan, as a key to peace and prosperity, in the region torn with tensions and terrorism. Certainly, the true face of India is concealed behind this cosmetic appearance. The latest peace talks held in Hyderabad House, New Delhi, between the foreign secretaries of the two countries have once again highlighted the nature of different perceptions about the core issues. Undoubtedly, the conflict of perceptions has persisted all along; even when it was believed that normalisation of relations was within reach. The reason was because Pakistan never deviated from its basic stand on Kashmir as the core issue to be decided in accordance with the UN resolutions. India, on the other hand, regarded Kashmir as its integral part (Atut Ang). During the 90s, the peace process was almost at its peak when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee made his historic 'bus journey to the Wagah and later signed the Lahore Declaration with then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But the Kargil war crashed the process. Later, the course of events in the region once again forced the two nuclear neighbours to resume the peace process; however it was derailed first at Agra and then immediately after the Mumbai terror strikes. History sometimes moves along an undefined and unpredictable path, as was in the case of the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan suddenly emerged as a key state in the region and its armed forces assumed a vital role. However, the Pakistani forces could not fully perform that role along its troubled western border at the cost of its national security along its eastern border with 'hostile India. Therefore, it was due to international pressure that New Delhi was forced to resume dialogue with Islamabad, in order to create the required peaceful environment along the Indo-Pak border as well as the Line of Control in Kashmir. So far so good Such a dialogue for the restoration of relations between the two neighbours is essential and the need of the hour because the fate of one and a half billion poverty-stricken people of this underdeveloped/developing region hangs on this issue. Nevertheless the outstanding dispute between Pakistan and India, in which Kashmir stands on top of the list, is therefore the crying call of the people of South Asia. India is not prepared to show any flexibility on its stance on Kashmir, while Pakistan, as well as the people of Kashmir, demand a settlement in accordance with the UN resolutions. With this 60-year old record Indian rigidness, Islamabad should not have stumbled into the latest so-called dialogue offer from New Delhi without clarifying the agenda of the talks. One wonders what made Islamabad rush without taking into account the stark consequences of the failure of a series of such exercises held over many decades in the past. What were the compelling reasons? Was Pakistan being pressurised by the international community? Then, were all the stakeholders including the various political parties and the military leadership, as well as the representatives of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan governments, consulted? Were friends like China and other states in the Middle East and Central Asia, who are stakeholders in the future of this region, taken into confidence? Unfortunately, nothing is clear except that even Parliament was not consulted. Above all, the statements made by our Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir before his departure, painting a rosy picture as a result of the expected dialogue, was really surprising. He ought to have known - exactly - the nature of the hot soup awaiting at the Hyderabad House luncheon. Then on his return, Mr Bashirs stated: India must change its perception about Pakistan, adding that, Islamabad was not desperate for pursuing meaningless and cosmetic dialogue. We have made it clear to India that terrorism is an international challenge and it should not be portrayed as only Pakistans problem. I wish our foreign secretary would have made such sentiments crystal clear to New Delhi before proceeding on a thoughtless joy ride to Delhi. It seems that Pakistan has learnt no lessons from past negotiations with India. But it is never too late. The writer is the president of the Pakistan National Forum.