LAHORE, June 6: Bhartiya Janta Party spokesperson Yashwant Sinha has said the Pakistan-India peace process has reached a plateau owing to deficit of trust. Participating in an inter-active discussion on ‘Pakistan-India relations: The way forward’ arranged by the Pakistan Institute for Legislative Development and Transparency here on Tuesday, the former Indian finance and foreign affairs minister said deficit of trust was the core issue obstructing the progress in the ongoing peace process.

He said fence on the border was a proof of distrust between the two countries. The fundamental issue faced by both the countries was how to start trusting each other. Only the establishment of trust could pave the way for peace.

He said there had been a sea change in relationship between Pakistan and India since the meeting between President Musharraf and former Indian premier Attal Bihari Vajpaee during a Saarc summit in Islamabad in January, 2004.

He said instead of a situation of eyeball-to-eyeball contact on the border and threats of nuclear conflict making the world anxious to put cold water on the heat generated, a huge constituency of peace had been created between the two countries.

He said the people had always supported peace and friendly relations, but their sentiments were not reflected in the spirit of the two governments in the past. The attitude of the governments had now changed under public pressure, but a major conclusion had not been reached during the peace process, giving rise to disappointment in certain quarters.

He said there was also a realisation that issues could be resolved by the use of force. There was also a realisation that terrorism and violence could lead to nowhere, and a dialogue was necessary for solving the problems.

Yashwant Sinha said there was a difference of opinion with respect to the core issue in the peace process. Pakistan considered Jammu and Kashmir as the core issue whereas India wanted an end to terrorism from across the LoC for talks in a violence-free atmosphere.

He said communal elements required to be eschewed from the peace process. Their representatives should meet as representatives of the two independent sovereign states and not two communities and should be patient in dealing with each other instead of expecting an immediate outcome. Any settlement between the two countries should be reached at by a national consensus, he said.

He said the brief joint statement issued by Musharraf and Vajpaee after the Saarc summit had set the benchmark for the peace process. The deficit of trust should not minimise the importance of measures like Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service, opening of parts of LoC for trade and quake relief operations, opening of Khokharapar-Monabao rail link and holding a ceasefire on Siachin which were a major breakthrough in the peace process and should not be dismissed as mere confidence building measures.

He said the number of visas being issued by the Indian High Commission for visiting Pakistan annually had exceeded 100,000 and would increase further after opening of consulates in Karachi and Mumbai. He had allowed crossing of Wagah border on foot during his tenure as foreign minister, he said.

The former Indian minister said the peace process had not been affected owing to change of government in India. The BJP was sitting on the opposition benches, but it had a tremendous commitment to peace process as a political party and would do nothing to jeopardize it despite differences in approach with the Congress government.

He said it was the responsibility of the civil society to strengthen the peace process. The deficit of trust should be covered by honesty and integrity in negotiations, remaining engaged and not allowing the talks to breakdown.

With Safta coming into force from July 1, hindrances in free trade, investment and transfer of technology should be removed by dispensing with artificial barriers like the negative and positive lists.

He said direct trade between the two countries had increased from $344 million to $800 million and could be increased further. The fears that Indian goods would swamp the market were misplaced. Indian business community had similar fears from China when the WTO came into force in January, 2001. It had now a $15 billion trade with China, and the balance was in its favour. Pakistan and India were denying opportunities to their business communities by delaying economic cooperation, he said.

He said the approach that the super power would come and resolve the disputes was pathetic. The super power should be kept out of the subcontinent, as it would protect only its own interests. Both India and Pakistan were capable of resolving their disputes on their own. It would be unwise to fix deadlines and look for quick fix solutions. Food took more time to cook in a sun cooker than a gas stove, but tasted far better, he said.

He said the BJP as opposition party would keep the government on tightrope even with respect to Pakistan-India relations, and ensure that it did well in improving the same. It had no differences with the government in the overall approach towards the peace process and would not like to do anything to derail it.

He said the Kashmir issue had not been put on the back burner. It was an important issue and a part of the composite dialogue process. Progress was required on all issues. Insistence on settlement of the only issue would be a self-defeating process.

Answering a question about increase in defence budget, he said India was not doing so with Pakistan in mind. It was a major country in Asia and had other security concerns in the extended neighbourhood.

Asked to identify one issue which could be resolved quickly, he referred to Sir Creek and said the agreement on it was possible as the pillars built during the British rule had been located.

He said the bureaucracy could not sabotage the peace process if the government had the political will to do it. It would assist the government instead of opposing it.

He said he did not believe in the trickle-down theory in which the poor were expected to wait for a few leftover crumbs to fall from the above. “Growth increases only poverty if its benefits do not reach maximum number of people,” he said.

He said the Pakistan and Indian governments should talk directly and avoid talking through media, as it would be counter-productive. Expectation management was also necessary in respect of summits.

Former foreign affairs minister Sartaj Aziz said India was not showing flexibility in the peace process. Insistence on identification of the positions of the forces after agreement on withdrawal from Siachin could be counter- productive.

He said peace was beneficial for the people of both India and Pakistan. The role of the BJP as opposition was of crucial importance in the process.

Ahmad Bilal Mahboob said Musharraf and Vajpaee deserved the credit for giving a new direction to Pakistan-India ties.