Ties with India

There is some plain-talking from the Foreign Office. Carrying further the articulation of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, wherein he had advocated re-engagement with India, the ministry elucidated that there is no change in policy towards New Delhi, and there is a national consensus to have good relations with the eastern neighbour. Addressing a think-tank last week, Bilawal said at a time when Islamabad is pivoting to economic diplomacy, normal ties with India cannot be ignored. He went on to remark, and rightly so, that relations with India and the US have been problematic. Thus, any talk of rewriting ties should not be interpreted as a weakness or a sell-off, as was being construed by certain quarters, and must be seen as a stride in the right direction.
Pakistan’s relations with India primarily are on a quid pro quo basis. There has been no constructive engagement for the last two decades, at least, and the symbolic composite dialogue format was a non-starter. The reason is not only trust deficit, but also an inherent bias on the part of Delhi not to let Islamabad have the leverage by settling outstanding disputes, especially Kashmir. This approach had thwarted any meaningful progress in their estranged relations. This is quite unbecoming of a good neighbourhood, and comes at the peril of upping the ante in terms of perpetual confrontation.
Bilawal’s submission should be read in the right context, and this is what the FO clarified. Since 2019, Pakistan has officially canvassed for a shift from geopolitics to geo-economics, and this means ensuring a level-playing field to all the neighbours. Its intention is to buoy trade and commerce relations, and open up vistas of its geography to the landlocked states of Central Asia and Afghanistan. Being the focal transit point of BRI’s flagship CPEC initiative, Pakistan has time and again offered an olive branch to India to normalise ties in good faith. This is what Bilawal apparently meant as he called for constructively engaging with Delhi.
India and its radical regime under the indoctrination of Hindutva must mend fences with Pakistan. Resolving the Kashmir issue and opening up with Islamabad in the realms of trade is indispensable. The onus is on India to take a call.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2022.

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