Back channel diplomacy likely

New Delhi: Pakistan has been saying since the recent Indian elections that a “convincing” electoral mandate in both countries called for a “clear” direction in sorting out bilateral relations. This was the burden of the message of Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit when he hosted a lunch for a Press Club of India delegation last Monday here.

But the message was laced with the rider, Islamabad will not accept any Indian “precondition” to substantive talks. The only “precondition” that India has advanced in recent years is that the perpetrators of 26/11 be brought to book.

So, when Narendra Modi meets Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, who will be here to attend the Indian leader’s swearing-in at the invitation of the latter on Tuesday morning, he will be required to ask his guest whether Islamabad insists on meaningful talks even if the Mumbai attack probe is scuttled in Pakistan.

If that is the case, then any Indian references to Pakistan abiding by its commitment given to former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004 that Pakistani soil will not be permitted to be used for terror attacks against India, becomes pointless.

Mr Modi will, in that event, need to offer a new blueprint for meaningful dialogue, one that replaces what was acceptable to Mr Vajpayee and his successor Manmohan Singh. Since such propositions take time to work out, probably what we might expect from the talks is a revival of back channel diplomacy which had flourished in the time of Dr Singh and Pervez Musharraf.