PM meets Gilani

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Gilani promised a new chapter in India-Pakistan relations after a meeting that was low on deliverables, but is intended to convey a strong desire to stay engaged and push for normalization of ties ruptured by the 26/11 terror attacks. Although there was no joint statement, the two jointly addressed the media after a 40-minute one-to-one interaction with Singh hailing Gilani as a “man of peace” and the Pakistani PM saying he found Singh open to a frank discussion on all issues, including Kashmir, terror, Sir Creek and trade. “I have always regarded Prime Minister Gilani as a man of peace. Every time I have met him in the last three years, this belief has been strengthened,” Singh said. If body language is any indication, the firm handshake at 9.40am before the start of the meeting set the dialogue rolling with aides leaving the two leaders alone after around 20 minutes. The two looked comfortable at the end of the meeting and said they expected the next interaction to be – as Singh put it – more “result oriented”. The surge in bonhomie did surprise observers as Pakistan is yet to check terrorism against India with infiltration across the Line of Control rising. Islamabad has also refused to ban Lashkar-e-Taiba’s religious arm Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Officials fear “hyping” the peace dividend can be problematic as Gilani may not enjoy the stature in Pakistan to walk the talk. India is counting on factors like the changes in the Afghanistan environment to persuade Pakistan that hostilities are not a “rational” choice. It is recognized that motives of all the actors in Pakistan are not conventional and make the relationship difficult, but it is felt that Pakistan realizes regaining pre-9/11 preeminence in Afghanistan is perhaps not feasible and certainties of the past have evaporated. Gilani said he found Singh ready to “put all cards on the table”, and felt hopeful about “a new chapter in the relationship”. Speaking after Gilani, Singh echoed the phrase. Foreign secretary Rajan Mathai later said “the PM felt the era of accusations and counter-accusations” should come to an end.