Indian forces to stop operations in Kashmir during Ramazan

India and Pakistan have had no substantive official interactions since 2016

The decision of the Indian government to stop combat operations in Indian Occupied Kashmir during the month of Ramazan will impact the foreign policy of India, reported The Times of India.

The decision is somewhat similar to the famous 'olive branch' extended by former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000, who used his Kashmir policy as an ice-breaker to ease tensions with Pakistan.



Modi has given Pakistan a signal that India is willing to give peace a chance, after Pakistani officials recently went on record to suggest that easing tensions with Indian was more than just rhetoric.

International pressure was mounting on India as the Hindu-majority country stepped up operations in IOK, and the gesture to stop them boosts Indian chances of obtaining observer status at Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).



If Pakistan responds in any meaningful fashion, India could have the opportunity to repair its broken relationship with its most difficult neighbour.

After the Uri attack in 2016, India and Pakistan have had no substantive official interactions.

The Modi government has taken a two-pronged approach - official silence alongside quiet contacts between the national security advisers. Somehow this has helped to keep the bilateral relationship from falling into the abyss. A tough stand against Pakistan has great resonance among the BJP base, therefore, the Modi government would have to play this outreach with patience.

This article originally appeared in The Times of India