Imposed solution

The British High Commissioner Designate to Pakistan speaks Urdu fluently and takes pride in his historic connections with the country where he is going to occupy the highest British post.

Mr. Mark Lyall Grant’s family members have been serving the United Kingdom for three generations in the part of the subcontinent today known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Faisalabad, a city in the north east of Pakistan, formerly Lyallpur, was founded by Sir James Lyall, a cousin of Mr Grant’s grandfather and named in his honour. The city is famous for agricultural produce and textiles.

Addressing a press briefing in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) prior to leaving for Pakistan, Mr. Grant said: “My family history makes Pakistan a very interesting posting for me.”

Mr. Grant, who has previously been posted in Pakistan in the 1980s during the regime of President General Ziaul Haq, stressed that the UK and the USA were not neglecting the contentious issues plaguing the relations of India and Pakistan. And he insisted that the impetus for peace should come from within the two neighbouring countries – because “a solution imposed won’t be sustainable”.

About India conditioning bilateral dialogue to a full stop to militancy in the disputed Kashmir, Mr. Grant said both sides have “very strong lobbies” involved in militancy. He said lately he had observed “huge conflict-weariness in both countries”.

“The India-Pakistan situation is not so gloomy as it was even six weeks ago. There are positive signs and moves for peace on both sides. The moves towards peaceful negotiation are gathering momentum.”

Mr. Grant said: “Building mutual confidence will be a long process for the two countries who have not held any substantial peace talks since Simla Agreement in 1960.

“The international community will encourage both sides to hold peaceful negotiations. But the history of the conflict suggests that the impetus for peace has to come from within the two powers – in order to make it lasting.”

Mr. Grant said in the last few weeks he had noticed signs of “willingness for peaceful negotiations” among the top leadership of both the countries. “If the top leadership of the two countries continue their commitment to peaceful means for the resolution of their disputes, including that of Kashmir, only then can the international community be of some help.”

The High Commissioner Designate said apart from seeing India, Pakistan move towards resolving their issues through peaceful means, he wished to see a substantial rise in the volume of Pakistan-UK trade.

Mr. Grant said the country of Pakistan was of great importance to him due to his family connection as well as to the UK Government.

“Pakistan is world’s seventh most populated country. And by the looks of the population growth trends, Pakistan will soon become the fifth largest country.”

About restoring full visa service in Pakistan, Mr. Grant said, to get visa service back to normal is a high priority.

He said following improvement in the security scenario, the UK had already sent some visa office staff back into Pakistan.

He said the visa service had to be cut because the staff was retracted following substantial threats to their safety and security.

“Targeting of Christians and foreigners” in and around Islamabad led the UK to cut the number of their staff in Pakistan.

Mr. Grant denied the impression that the British Government had over-reacted to the security situation prevailing in Pakistan last year by pulling out a huge number of its staff and closing down the consulate in Lahore and shutting down the visa operation in Karachi.

He said following last year attacks on the French engineers in Karachi, the US diplomats in Islamabad, the FCO was forced into shutting several of its operations in Pakistan, including reducing staff and issuing dire travel warnings.

Designation of an Urdu-speaking High Commissioner to Pakistan, who has strong family links with the country, is being seen as of great importance to the improvement of bilateral relations. Mr. Grant met his wife in Islamabad.

His posting to Pakistan at a time when the icy relations between India and Pakistan appear to be melting may be of great significance to hastening and maintaining this process.

Referring to the history of India-Pakistan bitter relations, the High Commissioner Designate made a very apt comment: “You can’t ignore history but a time comes when a nation realises the importance of moving forward. I see a process of transition setting in in the subcontinent.”