WASHINGTON: If the Democratic challenger to George W. Bush is elected America's president in November, the White House will increase pressure on India and Pakistan to resolve their differences peacefully.
The opposition Democratic Party conveyed this message in a document it released at its four-day national convention now being held in Boston. During the convention, the party will formally nominate John Kerry as its presidential candidate for the November election.
The party's 34-page manifesto mentions the India-Pakistan dispute in its section dealing with "Promoting Democracy, Peace and Security." The document says that America must work with its "friends" India and Pakistan "in their efforts to resolve long-standing differences."
The document is expected to be adopted by the convention as the election manifesto of the Kerry-Edwards campaign. The proposed manifesto reflects a major shift in the Democratic Party's policy towards the subcontinent.
The manifesto for the 2000 presidential election contained an implicit promise to bring in "a new era" of friendship between India and the United States while Pakistan was mentioned only in reference to India or in reference to US efforts for curbing a nuclear arms race in South Asia.
The previous manifesto also referred to former President Bill Clinton's visit to the region in March 2000 as a major achievement in promoting US-India relations. During this visit Mr Clinton spent five days in India, one full day in Bangladesh and just a few hours in Pakistan.
And in a speech broadcast live by the Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television, Mr Clinton also told Pakistani leaders that Washington's strategic partnership with Islamabad was over and they should try to improve their relations with India if they want peace and prosperity.
"President Clinton's historic trip to India and Pakistan has created new possibilities for dialogue with these countries," the 2000 manifesto had predicted. "And under a Gore administration, these will be continued vigorously."
That reference was to the candidature of then Vice-President Al Gore four years ago, when he won the popular vote, but failed to win the presidency at the end of a month-long dispute over the results.
The 2000 manifesto, adopted by Democrats as intense talks on nuclear issues were in progress between India's former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh and Mr Clinton's deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, also said: "We continue to work with India and Pakistan to dampen down a nuclear arms race on the Subcontinent and continue to urge them to deal with their differences over their conflict in Kashmir with peaceful means."
In an interview to the Newsweek, to be published later this week, John Kerry's senior foreign policy adviser and a former State Department spokesman James P. Rubin did acknowledge Pakistan's importance in the "war against terror".
The Newsweek reminded him that the Clinton administration brought a lot of pressure on Pakistan in particular to get to Osama bin Laden and the Taliban but it did not work. What makes you think that persuasion and understanding cultures will work now in a way that it didn't before?
"Well 9/11 did change things significantly. Countries like Pakistan that were reluctant to break relations with the Taliban and by extension crack down on Al Qaeda realized after the attacks of 9/11 that they were going to risk their future in the civilized world if they didn't change course," said Mr Rubin.
"It was a great moment in the months and weeks after 9/11, and that has been lost. And John Kerry will try to recapture that solidarity and support that was lost," he said.
Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, in Washington, points out that Mr Kerry has indicated that if elected he would want both India and Pakistan to send troops to Iraq.
He estimated that countries such as India, Pakistan and Canada might send as many as 10,000 troops to Iraq, under a Kerry administration, and various countries might send thousands more to Afghanistan.
