Technobytes

By Hamid Mir

ISLAMABAD: September 10, 2009 was a milestone in the history of India-Pakistan relations. Just a day before the 8th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks a very important development in India-Pakistan relations took place in the federal capital. It was the first time the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, was the guest of the Indian high commissioner, Sharat Sabharwal, at an Iftar dinner at a local hotel. Gen Pasha was wearing a Jinnah style black Sherwani, which is the national dress of Pakistan.

Pasha was not the only top ISI official present at the dinner. Two other top ISI officials were also present with their staff. The ISI director-general and High Commissioner Sabharwal exchanged smiles while sitting on the same table in the presence of former National Assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan.

Sabharwal informed his guests, including the ISI director-general that he is serving in Pakistan for the second time. He was the deputy high commissioner of India in Pakistan from 1995 to 1999. That was the most difficult time between India and Pakistan in recent history because 1999 was the year of the Kargil war between the two countries. Those were the days when the ISI used to chase all those visiting the the Indian high commission in Islamabad. Pakistani diplomats were beaten by the Indian intelligence in Delhi many times and Indian diplomats faced the same attitude in Islamabad in the late 90’s. The situation got normalised after 9/11 but the Mumbai attacks sabotaged the peace process again between India and Pakistan.

India had accused the ISI of masterminding the Mumbai attacks. Immediately after the Mumbai tragedy, the Pakistani government had announced that the ISI director-general will visit Delhi to help the Indian authorities in the investigations of the Mumbai attacks but due to some tough statements by the Indian foreign minister this decision was reverted. After that the ISI director-general became a target of continuous negative campaign by the Indian media for many months. But the same ISI director-general was greeted by the Indian diplomats with lots of smiles on Thursday evening.

One Indian journalist present at the dinner commented that the “presence of the ISI head at the dinner of the Indian high commissioner is unbelievable; it’s a glasnost in India-Pakistan relations”. Another former ISI director-general Lt-Gen (retd) Assad Durrani was also present. He was also surprised by the presence of the ISI head and said “it’s a very very positive development”.

Many diplomats present at the dinner were of the view that lots of “quiet developments” have been taking place between India and Pakistan. Intelligence officials from both the countries are in constant touch with each other and people of both countries may hear something good very soon.

Many Pakistanis asked their Indian hosts that “will the head of the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, attend a reception of the Pakistani high commission in Delhi?” The Indian hosts responded by saying that “first of all you invite our intelligence chief to your high commission in Delhi and then we will see”.

High Commissioner Sabharwal and the ISI director-general were tight-lipped. When this scribe told the ISI director-general that Pakistan is doing a lot to improve relations with India but the response from India is not very encouraging, Gen Pasha said “let’s hope for the best, things will definitely improve”.


source: www.thenews.com.pk