On the road named peace

T Bhanu

Years ago, when he went to address the UN Assembly, the PLO chief Yasser Arafat opened his speech thus: “I have come here with an olive branch in my one hand and a gun in the other. Let not the olive branch fall”.

We do not yet know whether the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has come in to India in that spirit, or hiding guns on his person. But from all available indications, there is this distinct possibility that he wants to give peace a chance. Thus, even if he has not brought along his commerce minister, news trickling in from Agra points to the fact that the 105-minute one-to-one talk between Prime Minister Vajpayee and General Musharraf also covered bilateral trade relations. This is soothing to the ears.

Given the potential for increasing two-way trade between the two countries, it is all the more in the interests of Pakistan to open up on the trade front. The proximity to India will make imports from India an economically viable proposition. So don’t be surprised if Pakistan were to grant us the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status, or broaden the list of items to be imported from India from the present 600 or so. Such a gesture, even if only reciprocal, will go a long way in building bridges with India. Trade is a wonderful weapon in the armoury of nations to combat political differences.

Musharraf’s advice to the Hurriyat leaders to adopt a “flexible” attitude while dealing with the Indian government has also gone down well with Pakistan watchers, who think that the General has softened his stand.

General Musharraf’s invitation to Mr Vajpayee’s and his acceptance to visit Pakistan are all signs of an impending thaw in Indo-Pak relations. It is too much to expect the two-day summit to find an ever-lasting solution to the 50-year old Kashmir dispute. But both leaders seem headed for the street named peace.