Increased trade with India
Another sign of progress is that the main opposition party is trying to outflank the government by being even more dovish in its policy towards India, rather than going after the government for not being hawkish enough. Just a few days ago, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan should abolish the visa regime with India, even if it has to do so unilaterally. Even the PPP government, as eager as it is to pursue peace with India, will not take quite so bold an action but that it is being pressed to speed up the pace of normalisation with India is very encouraging. If the two biggest parties in the country decide that peace is the only way to go, the military will find it harder to stymie their efforts.
Pursuing peace through trade may be the best strategy to deploy currently, but there are other low-risk steps that can be taken concurrently. While doing away with visas altogether may not be plausible, both countries can certainly make it easier for families on both sides of the border to visit each other. Entertainers, artists and sportsmen should not have to go through hoops just to visit the other country. Such trips can serve to reduce mistrust and build ties between people who have been denied contact with their neighbours. Once mistrust is minimised, governments can get around to discussing thorny, seemingly unsolvable issues like Kashmir.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2012.