ELECTIONS '98
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Let there be peace!

Sad, but 100 per cent true. Indian politics, like our journalism, is plagued by the same debilitation: the absence of follow-up.

We had our Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee going all the way to Lahore, not minding the dusty road or the travails of a bumpy bus and returning triumphantly feeling that he has taken Indian diplomacy a huge leap forward. Then we have silence. I mean, considering the hype his visit created in the media, what has been done to follow it up? Nothing. The steps that should have been taken immediately are still 'under consideration'.

If one goes by the reception the Pakistan government extended to Vajpayee, his visit can be termed very successful. Despite time constraints, the Nawaz Sharief government made all arrangements to make the visit a memorable one. Sharief was perturbed by the protests his younger brother Shahbaz, the chief minister of Punjab (in Pakistan), had to face from the Jamat-e-Islami on the issue. But Shahbaz taught the protesters a lesson; he backed the police to ruthlessly crush them. This proves how seriously Nawaz Sharief has taken the Indian endeavour.

There is, thus, no doubt that Sharief wants better relations with India. Even before becoming prime minister, he had announced that he would like friendship. In fact, he was the first Pakistani leader who contested the election with the promise that he would improve relations with India. And he received a massive mandate. During Inder Kumar Gujral's regime, both the prime ministers came very close. Several major decisions were in the pipeline, but the Gujral government did not last.

When I met him last year, Sharief told me he dreamed of a relationship with India that would make it possible for him to come over whenever he felt like it. He took me to play cricket at a ground in the premises of his house and said: "Many times I feel like taking the aircraft and landing in India to watch the cricket match. But unfortunately I cannot do so because of our sour relationship. I want a new kind of relationship to be established."

Though the nuclear explosions created tension, both Vajpayee and Sharief recognises the need for friendship. Vajpayee is known for his soft attitude towards Indo-Pak relations. It was this feeling that took him to Lahore; it was this same feeling that made Sharief roll out the red carpet. The major outcome of the visit is that both the leaders have openly expressed their desire to have peace.

So it is high time that a follow-up is initiated. Everybody knows that nothing really can be achieved on Kashmir except continuing dialogue. The strategy of the prime ministers should be to take steps in other areas. Meanwhile, keep talking about Kashmir -- it will keep the fundamentalists shut. Any effort without Kashmir will not be acceptable in Pakistan. So keep mentioning Kashmir so that Sharief has it easy at home. But take action in other areas.

First, visa norms should be relaxed. And reporting to the police should not be so stringent. This will make a good impact among the people of both countries. Now, an Indian in Pakistan -- or, for that matter, a Pakistani in India -- are prey to a lot of police harassment.

Trade barriers should be lifted. The import of sugar and power and the export of wheat and automobiles can be started. Once trade barriers go, business lobbies and vested interest will force the governments into friendship.

Dialogue should be immediately initiated at secretary level to have a no-war pact and no first use of nuclear weapons. The ban on Indian artists performing in Pakistan should be immediately lifted. A joint judicial commission should be constituted to look into the Indian complaint of Pak support to terrorism, and Pakistan's allegation of Indian support to mohajirs (refugees) in Karachi. The verdict of this commission must be honoured by the governments.

Innocent prisoners on both sides should immediately be released. Both countries should withdraw forces from Siachen during winter. As an initial gesture, they should lift visa requirement for members of Parliament, artists, diplomats, editors and all former prime ministers and foreign ministers.

Rajiv Shukla