Vibes from Goa

Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari minced no words in saying that India must rescind its unilateral August 5, 2019 measures on Kashmir to set in normalcy in bilateralism. It was a powerful assertion, as he questioned the rationality of any new agreement, if India is obsessed with striking down international conventions. The reiteration on his part that Islamabad is open for a dialogue with New Delhi was a jiff of fresh air, but the same could not find any reciprocity during his Goa sojourn. While the entire show on the sidelines of SSCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting was multilateral in essence, the focus was glued on India and Pakistan, hoping for any leap forward in their strained ties.

The huddle at Goa, however, could not make any global headlines. Bilawal’s debut visit to India failed to galvanise the momentum of much-desired bilateralism. While he met his Indian counterpart, Dr S Jaishankar, the body language was straightjacket and they did not even have a handshake — at least on camera. As both limited their pleasantries to a ceremonial extent, it reflected the estrangement at work, and the fact a dialogue between the nuclear rivals is not on the table. Nonetheless, the fact that Bilawal air-dashed to India, and made a strong point on the need for regional cooperation is appreciated. One hopes the vibes of goodwill will graduate into a formal dialogue process to iron out discrepancies that have stalled meaningful cooperation between the two states.

Bilawal was spontaneous as he built a case of trust building among member states. By saying that none should use terrorism as a diplomatic tool, he was tactically responding to Indian concerns of alleged cross-border terrorism. He rested his case by pointing out that “unilateral and illegal measures by states in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives.” It has some intrusive reading for all as the world craves for greater geo-economic cooperation in the new milieu. India, even after shying behind multilateralism, is in dire need of reciprocating in bilateralism.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2023.

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