Track Two Dialogue in the India-Pakistan Context

About Author

Dr. Samir A. Bhat

PhD in Political Science

Doctor/ Ph.D. member of the INSTITUT DE DIPLOMATIE PUBLIQUE

Conclusion

Despite some of the limitations and constrains within which Track-Two ‘diplomacy’ operates, it

has been an important medium to explore new policy options between India and Pakistan. It has

acted as a platform upon which to have discussions about many contentious issues such as

Kashmir’s political dispensation, demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier, and cross-border

terrorism. It has been helpful in bringing down the psychological barriers, bridging the cultural

differences, promoting mutual trade and developing an atmosphere conducive to the betterment of the region. Furthermore, the bilateral Track-Two dialogue processes have also played a pivotal role in bringing key issues to the forefront and in applying intellectual capacity and civil activism to broad policy-stalemates where the state has essentially failed. While non-official ‘diplomacy’ cannot be a panacea for the mistrust amassed over decades of hostility, it provides a unique opportunity for the citizens of India and Pakistan to prevent the bitterness of the past from tainting the future.

The future role of Track-Two dialogue in South Asia may be minimal without a concurrent improvement in the relations at the official level, but a sustained multi-faceted dialogue will help build confidence and prove constructive for both sides’ perceptions of one another. This in effect will ease domestic tensions and hostility and pave the way for enlightened political action