India under pressure to resume talks with Pak

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: Calls to resume Indo-Pak dialogue have already begun pouring in, an indication of the pressure India will face in the coming weeks. The credible electoral process in J&K has influenced international opinion in favour of a dialogue.<br />Leading the calls for a resumption of dialogue is the US. State department spokesperson Richard Boucher said on Thursday: ‘‘Following the completion of credible elections in J&K, we call on both India and Pakistan to make strenuous efforts towards an early resumption of diplomatic dialogue on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.A lasting settlement, which also reflects the needs of the Kashmiri people, can only be achieved through dialogue.’’<br />In his remarks, Boucher also dwelt on the need for improvements in governance and human rights in J&K.<br />Calls for a dialogue have also come from France and Japan. The spokesperson of the French foreign ministry hoped the elections would ‘‘promote a dialogue with all parties concerned with the Kashmiri situation’’. The Japanese spokesperson hoped ‘‘a dialogue between India and Pakistan will be resumed soon, following the completion of the assembly elections in Kashmir and the general election in Pakistan’’.<br />Notwithstanding India’s claim that the elections in J&K were successful despite Pakistan, the international community is looking only at the end result. <br />‘‘Since the elections are considered to have been free and fair and there was no disruption, any comment on Pakistan’s attempt to disrupt the polls can only be speculative,’’ says a European diplomat.<br />While expressing the hope that the elections would lead to a dialogue not just with Pakistan but also with the Kashmiri leaders, the diplomat said it was too early to see any immediate change in the status quo. The government, he felt, would take time to formulate its strategy.<br />This is an opinion that finds concurrence even in South Block with officials saying the government would now have to assess the situation and fashion its strategy.<br />While shrugging off the suggestion that India would be under pressure, official sources said the elections had put India in a position of strength from where it would have greater room to manoeuvre.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Related stories: </span><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?art_id=24899204">US grapples with poll results in Pak</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?art_id=24878545">Benazir calls for fresh Pak polls</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?art_id=24858639">Imran Khan wins seat in Pak parliament</a> </img></img></img></div> </div>