Making the first successful move in his campaign promise to recover illegal wealth stashed in havens abroad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue during bilateral talks with the Mauritius Prime Minister at Hyderabad House on Tuesday morning. He was accompanied by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, who came to New Delhi to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the new Indian Prime Minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, responded positively, “We have decided to provide automatic exchange of tax information with India”, he is quoted as saying. Sources revealed that Navinchandra Ramgoolam expressed a desire for quick resolution of issues on a tax treaty with India and sought to allay New Delhi’s anxieties regarding the use of the ‘Mauritius route’ for money laundering. “We will not allow anybody to abuse or misuse our jurisdiction”, he said, while inviting Prime Minister Modi to visit his country. Navinchandra Ramgoolam also discussed economic cooperation and maritime security in the Indian Ocean region, an area where India is expected to play a critical role in times of come.
It is now obvious that Prime Minister Modi’s decision to invite the leaders of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) grouping to his swearing-in ceremony on Monday was motivated by the twin desire to kick-start his regional diplomatic strategy, and especially to initiate early action on the themes raised by him during his hectic election campaign. The Port Louis engagement is a decisive step in the right direction.
The Prime Minister’s first diplomatic engagement of the day, however, was with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai who, like India, is facing threat from a resurgent Taliban and other militant groups as the time for withdrawal of US troops nears. Afghanistan has appreciated New Delhi’s humanitarian assistance to its landmine victims in the long years of unrest, and will need India for reconstruction projects, particularly the building of roads, schools, and other infrastructure. While there is no official word on what transpired between the two leaders, President Karzai is believed to have reiterated a complaint made previously to private television channels to the effect that the May 23 attack on the Indian consulate in Herat was the work of the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. He claimed to have received this input from a Western intelligence outfit (read CIA).
The issue reportedly figured in some straight talking by Prime Minister Modi with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is said to have looked pale while leaving the venue. Narendra Modi raised the issue of cross-border terror – he had often referred to the beheading of a jawan and killing of others under the UPA rule during his campaign speeches – and also the unsatisfactory progress in taking action against the culprits of the Mumbai 2008 attack, especially Jamaat ud Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed. He reportedly demanded voice samples of those present in 26/11 control room and urged Islamabad to control militant groups that operate from its soil.
The Indian Prime Minister, however, is said to have expressed willingness to boost trade and business between the two countries, especially in the field of energy, where Pakistan faces serious shortages. Nawaz Sharif, like Narendra Modi, is pro-business and is anxious to give a fillip to the sagging Pakistan economy. He overcame stiff domestic resistance to visit India and expressed optimism for peace on his arrival. “I am here to turn a new page in India-Pakistan relations,” he told the Indian media. “The new government under Mr Modi has a strong mandate and I look forward to picking up the relationship from where I and (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee left it in 1999.”
The reference to former Prime Minister Vajpayee (on whom Nawaz Sharif even paid a courtesy call on Tuesday) is significant because it wipes out the Indian diplomacy of the last decade of UPA rule, particularly the July 2009 joint statement in which then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed that Pakistan was a joint victim of terrorism. The statement was much resented in India because while Pakistan suffers from acts of terrorism on its soil, the terrorism directed at India emanates from Pakistani soil (non state actors, jihadis, even regular Army intrusions), and never vice versa. Now the Pakistan Prime Minister has said the past ten years can be wiped out of the record.
As a goodwill gesture, Nawaz Sharif had ordered the release of 151 Indian fishermen held in Pakistani jails, along with their boats, before his arrival. Questioned about the prospects of peace between the two neighbours at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he recited a couplet: “Pewasta Re Shajar Se, Umeed-e-Bahar Rakh” (Remain attached to the tree, have faith in the spring). Prior to leaving Islamabad, Nawaz Sharif also offered Non Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) to India traders by removing curbs on 1,209 items currently on a ‘negative list’.
Addressing a press conference later in the evening before his departure, Nawaz Sharif called for a transition from confrontation to cooperation and said the two countries should “not engage in accusations and counter-accusations”. He said, “My government stands ready to discuss with India all issues in a spirit of cooperation”. The desire to move ahead was further signalled by refusing to meet with Hurriyat and other separatist groups, and not raking up Kashmir or other contentious issues during the bilateral.
The Pakistan Prime Minister said that the Foreign Secretaries of the two nations would meet soon to finalise a bilateral agenda in the spirit of Tuesday’s meeting. Later, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said that she would remain in touch with her counterpart and see how to move forward, but added, “We want peaceful relations with Pakistan. But for that terror and violence should end”.
In talks with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksha, Prime Minister Modi urged him to implement the 13th Amendment for national reconciliation with the Tamil population in the island nation. Both sides agreed that talks between fishermen should be encouraged.
The Indian Prime Minister also held bilateral talks with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, and the Bangladesh Speaker who is standing in for Sheikh Hasina Wazed. These talks mainly centered on economic ties.
Myanmar, an immediate neighbour, did not get an invitation as the first round of diplomacy by the new regime was centred round SAARC, where Myanmar has observer status. India is supporting Myanmar’s bid for full membership, and enjoys good relations with the regime which has been helpful in uprooting anti-India insurgents from its soil. Prime Minister Modi accepted the invitation of all SAARC leaders to visit their respective countries, and thus kick-started a process in which India is expected to emerge as the major pivot of Asia.
Niticentral.com, 27 May 2014
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/05/27/prime-minister-modi-talks-friendly-talks-straight-227871.html