Pakistan, India asked to mend fences

Experts say both countries' survival hinges on mutual coexistence

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and India stand at a point in their relations where surviving in isolation is not an option and engagement is essential, however, a thorough introspection is direly needed to overcome deep-rooted animosity.

These points were highlighted by a panel of experts on Wednesday at a roundtable discussion organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS).

Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) at the National Defense University (NDU), Dr Arshi Saleem Hashmi said that both Pakistan and India required a multi-track diplomacy that prioritised initiation of goodwill on both parts rather than being solely focused on the outcomes of any potential engagement.

She said previous leaders tried their utmost to keep the communication networks alive and kicking but, lately, the muting of all such channels was deeply concerning.

The growing hyper-nationalism in addition to the irritants impeding communications was deepening a hate-based political culture across borders, she added.

Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Assistant Professor Dr Farhan Hanif Siddiqui believed that zero-sum strategising had to be eliminated if India and Pakistan wished to progress their diplomatic ties in contemporary times.

He said that while Kashmir will be a cause significant for Pakistan, it was important to realise that India had already domesticated the issue and that this domestication had led every other effort towards engagement futile.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2023.