NOT SKIN DEEP

India appreciates good news coming from Pakistan. A Birkin is better than a ballistic missile 
Kiran Nazish Karachi 

Concerns on both sides of LoC have remained the same for six decades. The real and more refreshing intrigue is, whether, amid all the storm that the Birkin-laden ‘best face’ of Pakistan washed in the Indian media, was it really worth the soak and will the feel good factors last? 

While India and Pakistan announced new ‘Confidence Building Measures’ (CBMs) for Jammu and Kashmir, Hina Rabbani Khar made sure her message of a changed Pakistani mindset got across and understood by her counterparts in India. This effort to initiate a new chapter in ties looks more successful than it may have been perceived earlier. 

Both sides acknowledged the difficulties — India conveyed its displeasure on Khar’s meetings with Kashmiri separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Farooq. To decelerate the irritation, Khar refrained from mentioning Kashmirat the brief media interaction. In a gauzily scripted plan, it was left for India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna to mention Pakistan’s core concern. He said: “On Jammu and Kashmir, we will continue discussions to find a peaceful solution by narrowing divergences and building convergences.” 

Will this convergence be effective enough to capture the political and diplomatic imagination of the two countries? Will this new feeling help in resolving key issues that have sparked three wars between them over the past six decades? After a rather disciplined undertone to the flurry of Khar’s visit, officials in Pakistan, who were nervous prior to the feedback, felt delighted at howIndiamade a ‘good’ deal out of it. It is clear thatIndiaappreciates good news coming from Pakistan. If it comes in the form of a modern-looking, European brand-dashing ambassador, it’s much better it seems. Like someone I heard saying, “The thinking goes, a Birkin is better than a ballistic missile.” 

The visit enticed colossal media coverage (it was really about Khar, her good looks and super-expensive designer assets); we saw how the body language of both countries drastically uplifted. As I see it, this is an incredible sense of ‘friendligence’ from both sides of LoC. 

We saw Khar’s interviews with CNN-IBN and ANI — an opportunity to normalise any fire-thirsty dialogue. She logically made strides into each discussion with realistic feedback and India took it positively. So far, so good! Yes, India-Pak talks didn’t break any new ground, but they weren’t the awkward blow that the Qureshi-Krishna talks had been. 

These talks have restored a good atmosphere to the peace process, and with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inviting Khar for a State visit, we might see more developments very soon. What we achieved was a successful inaugural tour as the two foreign ministers announced modest, but very welcome, agreements regarding the sulkily borderline region
of Kashmir.