Indian PM 'engaged in secret talks with Army Chief

LONDOM Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opened secret talks with Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani 10 months ago to build on the cricket-inspired diplomatic thaw between the two countries, The Times reported on Saturday. Singh appointed an unofficial envoy to make contact with General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who exercises de facto control over foreign policy. The talks, through a back channel, have encouraged the UK and US believe that the countries competition for influence in Afghanistan could be better managed during efforts to start a peace process, Times said. The visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the semi-final match between India and Pakistan in the cricket World Cup last month has sparked hope of a diplomatic thaw between the two neighbouring countries. Kayani visited Kabul this week to meet members of the high peace council, a body set up by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, to build contacts with Taliban groups. The Army Chief was accompanied by General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, head of Inter-Services Intelligence. According to The Times Gilani-Manmohan talks is a ray of hope for the regional peace. Progress on Sir Creek issue and demilitarisation of Siachin is also being dubbed as improvement in bilateral ties. According to the Times, the real improvement is possible only if Pakistan Army plays its role to stop proxy war in the Held Kashmir. Similarly, there will be difficulties in talks if India continues supporting separatists in Balochistan. In the same way, Indias influence can only grow in Afghanistan if New Delhi maintains balanced relations with Pakistan. Islamabad has made it clear to the US that in order to avoid a civil war in Afghanistan, Washington must start negotiations with Haqqani network. The newspaper says pressure forced India to come on the table but Manmohan Singh is still insisting on access to the accused of Mumbai attacks. When TheNation contacted GP ISPR General Athar Abbas to verify the veracity of the news, he refused to comment. TheNation Monitoring adds: According to Deccan Chronicle, BJP on Saturday cautioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against India holding talks with Pakistan in the wake of a top US Army commanders statement that ISI was working in 'close coordination with extremist groups. Referring to the comments of Mike Mullen, BJP said this only confirms what has been 'widely believed and suspected. Army and foreign policy experts, however, are not enthused by the idea of India talking directly to the Pakistani army. Former Indian army chief Gen. VP Malik told DNA that it is not possible to deal directly with Pakistan army leaders. While it is true that the army calls the shots with regard to Indo-Pak relations, it does not make sense to talk to the army on the other side because of differences in perspective. The Pakistan army believes that India has strategic depth and that is why it wants Afghanistan to remain in its sphere of influence. The two sides are on different trajectories and there is no meeting point, he said. Gen Malik, however, did not rule out the possibility of involving the Pakistan army in the bilateral peace process through the mediation of a third country like the United States. Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said that it is immature on the part of India to try to bypass the civilian establishment and the democratically elected government. There is an internal squabble between the civilian government and the army there. It is, therefore, not right for India, with all its rhetoric about democracy, to be engaging with the generals in Islamabad. Responding to the Indian attempt to schedule a Kabul visit for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in response to Gen Kayanis visit to Afghanistan, Gen Malik said that India never had a say in the important decisions in Afghanistan. The US kept India out while it talked to Pakistan and other countries, despite the fact that India has spent money and done a lot of developmental work in Afghanistan, he observed. Sibal was of the view that Indias presence in Afghanistan is legitimate for strategic reasons and Pakistan should not be allowed to claim any exclusivity with regard to Kabul. Giving an example, he said, India cannot object to Chinas growing presence in Pakistan. It is the same in the case of India in Afghanistan.