A US diplomatic cable leaked by whistleblower website WikiLeaks quotes Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as saying that in 2006, he had reached an “understanding” on Kashmir with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

The cable claims Dr Manmohan Singh told an American delegation in April 2008 that “We had reached an understanding in back-channels, in which Musharraf had agreed to a non-territorial solution to Kashmir that included freedom of movement and trade.”

“‘Questioned by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee about relations with Pakistan, the Prime Minister said Delhi and Islamabad had made great progress prior to February 2007, when President Musharraf ran into trouble,” the cable adds.

It also quotes the PM as saying that “India wants a strong, stable, peaceful, democratic Pakistan and makes no claim on ‘even an inch’ of Pakistani territory.”

Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri had told NDTV in January this year that both India and Pakistan had almost signed off on a draft agreement on Kashmir. This agreement included self-governance on both sides of the Line of Control and a joint mechanism to oversee governance, he had said. (Read)

Mr Kasuri had also claimed that India and Pakistan’s near resolution of the Kashmir issue had the backing of Pakistan’s present Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani.

NDTV

When you look at the situation now in Pakistan and Afghanistan, what else should President Obama be doing?

President Obama needs to pay more attention to the long term relationship with Pakistan. He has an instinctive understanding of its culture. He spent some time there as a youth with his mother. He also had Pakistani friends as a young man.

But his actions as president even provoked the generally pro-American former president, Pervez Musharraf, to call them “irresponsible” and “arrogant”.

Obama needs to take symbolic and substantive action. He needs to make an effort on two fronts: explain the importance of a long term relationship to his home audience and thus counter the negative publicity around Pakistan.

To Pakistanis he must appear a trusted ally. Pakistanis are acutely aware that Obama appears to have tilted far too much towards India– a factor that always plays in Pakistani minds. It is well to keep the South Asian context in mind. India and Pakistan have had three wars. Things are thankfully quiet between them now but could escalate without warning at any time. Pakistanis complain that while Obama has been to India he has ignored Pakistan which is a key ally.

Obama could also change the nature of the aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan. So far American money has largely disappeared, as I said, into a black hole. After billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money – at a time when America itself  is in debt – there is still virulent anti-American sentiment in both countries. Intelligent use of aid will satisfy both the American tax payer and serve Afghans and Pakistanis better. 

Every Afghan and Pakistani parent wants nothing more than to educate their children. It is an Islamic duty and parents believe in it passionately. I propose a study be made of educational institutions like Forman Christian College in Lahore. It was run – and still is - by Presbyterian teachers when I studied there in the 1960s. The college has produced several presidents and numerous parliamentarians and scholars. Every Formanite I have met remains grateful—as proud Muslims and Pakistanis. I am sure if colleges like this were spread throughout Pakistan and ordinary Pakistanis had access to them the direction of the next generation could change.

Obama should also stress the need to reform the madrassah system. New syllabi, teachers training programs, technology, seminars, field-trips would help change the mindset. In spite of the controversy around the madrassahs, they still continue to produce a steady stream of students with too narrow an understanding of Islam. There is cause and effect. Yet the emphasis among the leaders in the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan is on military solutions. These have already failed.

So my advice to Obama: think long term and act holistic. For the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan–a frown and a lecture to remind them of their duties. For the ordinary people of Pakistan, already reaching breaking point, that famous Obama smile will be seen as a friend’s gesture of comfort.

Obama needs to remind Pakistan to honor the vision of its own founding father. It may challenge Pakistani leaders to snap out of their stupor and pull back from the brink.