The India-Pakistan composite dialogue continues to be on track. At their recent meeting in Islamabad, the Indian external affairs minister, Mr K. Natwar Singh, and his Pakistan counterpart, Mr Khursheed Mahmud Kasuri, have agreed to a series of incremental steps to take the dialogue process forward. By all accounts, the meeting of the two foreign ministers in New Delhi has been productive. Although critics may find the progress slow, it is vital that New Delhi and Islamabad remain committed to moving their bilateral ties forward. Indeed, the devastation of the recent earthquake provides an opportunity for India and Pakistan to strengthen their cooperation across the line of control.

Be that as it may, there have been tangible results from the meeting between Mr Singh and Mr Kasuri on a variety of fronts. Regarding communication links, an agreement has been reached to operationalize the Lahore-Amritsar bus service by November 2005. A meeting of experts would be held in Islamabad to start the Nankana Sahib-Amritsar bus service at an early date. There was also an understanding that a meeting at the technical level would take place before the end of the year to discuss arrangements for operationalizing the Rawalakot-Poonch bus service as early as possible. Also, the two ministers decided that a meeting would take place before December 2005 to discuss modalities for starting a truck service on the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar route for trade in permitted goods. By early next year, then, the communication links between India and Pakistan would have vastly improved if the agreements are translated into reality. The ministers also addressed the humanitarian issue of prisoners and fishermen on either side. Immediate notification of arrests by either side, consular access to all persons within three months of arrest, release of prisoners on completion of sentence and verification of national status, and early release of inadvertent crossers across the LoC were some of the measures agreed upon.

On critical political issues, there was some movement. The two sides exchanged ideas on the Siachen issue and agreed to continue their discussions so as to arrive at a common understanding before the composite dialogue in January 2006. Similar discussions took place on the Sir Creek issue, taking into account the joint survey of the horizontal section of the boundary in the area. While the two foreign ministers have contributed much to the dialogue, it is clear that only the prime minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, and President Pervez Musharraf can address the really decisive issues, including those related to terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir. Hopefully, there will be a summit-level meeting early next year. In the interim, it is important for the dialogue to help create an atmosphere in which these vital issues can be addressed dispassionately.