US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI2586

S E C R E T NEW DELHI 002586 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, IN, PK, INDO-PAK 
SUBJECT: MORE THAN CRICKET: MUSHARRAF TO HAVE FULL 
BILATERAL VISIT 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 2474 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt.  Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) MEA Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran) 
Dilip Sinha told PolCouns and Poloff on April 5 that the GOI 
is hoping for "something more concrete than an exchange of 
views" when President Musharraf meets Prime Minister Singh 
and other leaders during his April 16-18 visit to New Delhi 
to watch the India-Pakistan cricket match.  Sinha declined to 
elaborate on which issues might see progress, but updated us 
on recent developments in several areas: 
 
-- Siachen: As part of the second round of the Composite 
Dialogue, the Defense Secretaries will meet between now and 
June; 
 
-- Expanded rail service: During his late March visit to New 
Delhi, former Prime Minister and President of the ruling 
Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Chaudhary Shaujat Hussain 
informed the GOI that the infrastructure on the Pakistan side 
for the Khokhrapar-Munnabao rail service would be ready 
within six months.  Recalling that October 2005 had been the 
initial goal for launching this service, Sinha commented that 
he was not sure if Pakistan would be ready, but that New 
Delhi had assurances that Islamabad needs just six months; 
 
-- Nuclear CBMs: Queried about progress on nuclear CBMs, 
Sinha remarked that "New Delhi and Islamabad are looking at 
the possibilities," suggesting that there has been no further 
movement on the ideas floated during Natwar Singh's February 
visit to Islamabad; 
 
-- Baglihar Dam: The PM gave his assurance to PML President 
Chaudhary Shaujat that India will uphold its Indus Waters 
Treaty obligations.  The PM also noted to the Pakistani 
delegation that if the GOI were to suddenly release the water 
behind the dam, as Islamabad fears, the damage to India would 
be greater than that to Pakistan.  New Delhi has asked for a 
list of specific points on which the GOP considers India in 
violation of the Treaty, but "their concerns are political, 
not technical."  Sinha was not certain whether this would be 
addressed during Musharraf's upcoming visit, but reiterated 
the PM's commitment to treaty compliance; 
 
-- Back-Channel Dialogue: It was unclear how Special Envoy to 
Pakistan SK Lambah's mandate would evolve, Sinha explained, 
but he is "the point person for the back-channel dialogue." 
Sinha highlighted Lambah's expertise in Indo-Pak relations, 
adding that his meeting with Pakistani NSA Tariq Aziz 
(reportedly to precede the Musharraf visit) would be fully 
coordinated with the Foreign Ministry.  Unlike his 
predecessor, Arun K. Singh, Sinha did not appear particularly 
bothered by extensive press leaks around the back-channel 
talks. 
 
2.  (S) PolCouns followed up on our offer to provide security 
support for the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus scheduled to launch 
on April 7 (reftel), underlining that this is strictly a CT 
issue, and in no way suggests a change in the US position 
that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue to be resolved 
between India and Pakistan.  Sinha's Americas desk 
counterpart (J/S Jaishankar) had earlier indicated to us that 
the MEA wants to accept our offer, but is waiting for a green 
light from the Home Ministry. 
MULFORD