LAHORE: The September 10, 2009 surprised move by the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha to attend an iftar dinner in Islamabad hosted by Indian high commissioner to Pakistan, Sharat Sabharwal, was a well calculated bid on the part of the Pakistani establishment to give a strong message of good will to the Indian establishment which is still adamant to resume the stalled peace talks with Islamabad in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks which were blamed on a Pakistani militant group.
The historic development came amidst international media reports that Pakistan and India have begun sharing intelligence on militants, with the prodding of the United States, especially in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. General Pasha is the first every director general of the ISI to have attended such a high profile event being organized by an Indian official, and that too, on the Pakistani soil. Some well placed sources in the Pakistani establishment say the development should be seen in the backdrop of recent media reports that intelligence sharing between the two South Asian adversaries had begun with the help of the United States. The sources were of the view that to attend the reception, General Pasha must have sought prior permission from the Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani, who would not have given a go ahead without seeking permission from the federal government.
As a matter of fact, General Pasha was not the only top ISI official present at the dinner as he was actually accompanied by two other top ISI officials. On being welcomed by Sabharwal at the venue, General Pasha remarked that he was glad to attend the event and there should be more interaction in future as well. The ISI chief broke his fast and offered prayers before sampling some of the delicacies on offer. Pasha left after a short while though most of the guests, including Foreign Office officials, retired diplomats and officials, artists and businessmen, stayed longer. In July 2009, General Pasha had suggested during a meeting with Indian defence advisors that the ISI and the Pakistan Army should find a place in the bilateral talks with India as they play a key role in helping the foreign ministry formulate its policies.
According to Pakistani media report on Friday, one Indian journalist present at the iftar dinner commented that the “presence of the ISI head at the dinner of the Indian high commissioner is unbelievable; it’s a glasnost in Indo-Pak relations”. Another former ISI chief Lt-Gen (retd) Assad Durrani, who was also present at the dinner, was surprised by the presence of General Pasha and said “it’s a very positive development for the future of the two countries”.
Many diplomats present at the iftar 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 that “first of all you invite our intelligence chief to your high commission in Delhi and then we will see”.
Indian High Commissioner Sabharwal and the ISI director-general were tight-lipped. When a Pakistani journalist told the ISI director-general that Pakistan was doing a lot to improve relations with India but the response from New Delhi was not very encouraging, General Pasha smiled and said “let’s hope for the best, things will definitely improve”.
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