Renewed Hope of Summit
Ms Albright's projected visit to Dhaka fell through and President Clinton's probable visit also never went past a hope not unbased on facts. When the three-nation subcontinental business summit also was postponed, things could look very wrong for Dhaka's importance as a host. But it didn't as the postponement was prompted by very transparent reasons of political uncertainties in both New Delhi and Islamabad - that were both genuine and understandable. That is not to say that we three could go without that summit as if it were some get-together keynoted by sheer bonhomie. We are happy the Indian situation is now clear and that Mr Nawaz Sharif also has in the meantime got this house set and right - brightening the prospect of a summit before the commencement of the Indian elections. We congratulate our foreign office for having taken up the thread in the nick of time. There have been encouraging responses from the other two capitals to the renewed Dhaka initiative.
Mr I K Gujral's changed position now as only an interim and stop-gap Prime Minister need not be feared to lessen the importance of the summit. It is India more than an individual that will be there in the deliberations. Mr Gujral's happening to be representing India will come as a bonus as he is on record as a vocal and sincere exponent of closer and truer ties between the states that were once British India.
The initiatives already taken in the shaping of the subregional association within the SAARC, the development quadrangle and the seven-nation BIMSTEC have made it imperative that the subcontinental nations closed their ranks as a matter of priority. The summit is expected to do that to the benefit of us - very close neighbours.
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