The recent reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers, announced by the Prime Minister is hoped to be the last before the 2014 Parliament elections is significant on a number of counts. It is a move to help the government in removing ‘the taint of scams and policy paralysis’ it has been confronting.  For meeting some of the challenges on the home turf Prime Minister Singh has brought in some old and experienced hands. But in this reshuffle, most significant appointment has been of Salman Khurshid as external affairs minister. He has replaced S. M. Krishna. The new minister known for his articulation has taken over the stupendous task when “dysfunctional governance” at New Delhi has taken a toll on India’s growth rate and brought it to a dismal situation impacting internationally India’s image as an emerging power. It would be second tenure of Salman Khurshid as the External Affairs Minister. He worked from January 1991 to 1993 as minister of state in the ministry. In India-Pakistan relations, that was one of the bitterest periods. But since then the international relations, more particularly after 9/11, have undergone a sea change. Notwithstanding lots of troughs in the relations between New Delhi and Islamabad during past twenty years there have been some crests also that brightened hope of resolving the long standing dispute between the two countries and bringing about durable peace in the region. The engagement between leaders of the two countries had brought in some tangible results in the shape of Kashmir related Confidence Building Measures  including opening of roads between two parts of Jammu and Kashmir. However, the initiatives taken in 2005 suffered adversely and there has not been much of a progress towards finding a lasting solution to the disputes. The new minister can make a big difference by breathing in new life in the already initiated CBMs, taking new ones such as allowing free movement of people of the state across the LOC, removing all hiccups in the trade and engaging with Islamabad substantially to address the core issues. 

Lastupdate on : Mon, 29 Oct 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST