Nawaz returns to douse the crossfire

When one steps into the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the first thing that catches the eye is a striking collection of historic photographs featuring leaders from both Pakistan and India.

What stands out, however, is that nearly 90 per cent of these images include three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif -— either during visits to India or while hosting Indian dignitaries in Pakistan.

On one occasion, a journalist jokingly asked an Indian diplomat why any other leader couldn't make it to the commission's community hall walls. The diplomat smiled and replied, "What Nawaz Sharif did for the Pak-India peace process, no other leader made such sincere efforts to mend ties".

It is against this backdrop that Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N supremo, walked into the Prime Minister's House on Thursday to join a high-level civil-military meeting convened to assess Indo-Pak tensions.

However, there's more than meets the eye, as elder Sharif's entry amid the current stand-off between the two countries is to strengthen the backdoor contact and play his part to de-escalate the situation — an old hand being brought in when the chips are down.

Soon after the Pahalgam attack and India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, it was reported that Sharif returned to Pakistan from London to dial down tensions between the two countries, given his reputation as a peacemaker over the years.

Since his comeback, Sharif has been working behind the scenes, but Thursday's security huddle at the PM House was the first time he formally entered the scene.

After his arrival, it was reported that Sharif had advised PM Shehbaz Sharif to ease tension diplomatically after he briefed the PML-N supremo on the decisions taken by the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting in the wake of the suspension of the IWT by India following an attack in the Pahalgam area of held Kashmir.

It was said that Sharif wanted the PML-N-led coalition government to utilise all available diplomatic resources to restore peace between the two nuclear-armed states, saying he was not keen on taking an aggressive position.

Subsequently, PM Shehbaz had also offered to India that Pakistan was open to any "neutral and transparent" investigation into the Pahalgam attack.

Nevertheless, the situation significantly changed since the Jati Umrah meeting, as India attacked multiple cities in Pakistan. In retaliation, Pakistan shot down five Indian jets, leaving India red-faced.

Subsequently, the second NSC huddle since the stand-off authorised the Armed Forces of Pakistan to respond to the Indian aggression and avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives as well as the blatant violation of its sovereignty, showing that while Pakistan may extend the olive branch, it won't turn the other cheek.

Though the civil-military leadership is emphasising that Pakistan will respond to Indian aggression at a time, place and manner of its choosing, efforts are also being made to strengthen backchannel contact to defuse tensions.

On May 7, it had emerged that the National Security Advisers of Pakistan and India have established contact with each other after India launched a series of missile strikes inside Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday.

On Thursday, sources confirmed that PM Shehbaz chaired a meeting, which was attended by the top military leadership, to take stock of the security situation, especially after India used multiple Israeli-made Harop drones to attack several cities in Pakistan.