Talks with India

There can be little argument that neighbours need to try and live in harmony, use negotiation instead of violence, and look for mutual benefits rather than arbitrary attacks on the other. Encouragingly, that seems to have been the thinking behind Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s conditional offer to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir”. During an interview with ‘Al Arabiya’, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could facilitate the talks, adding that the two nuclear armed states had fought three wars with each other which only brought more “misery, poverty and unemployment to the people” and that our focus should be on ending poverty than wasting our resources on bombs and ammunition.

By all accounts, this is a good message. Unfortunately, political opponents have chosen to politicize this as well, calling it a ploy to “sell Kashmir”. The government has since reiterated that any talks “can only take place after India has reversed its illegal action of August 5, 2019”. PM Shehbaz’s interview comes just a month after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar had forcefully condemned India for terrorist activities in Pakistan, including the Johar Town blast in Lahore back in 2021 near Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed’s residence. The prime minister’s interview is quite significant but it is not the first time that Pakistan has extended an olive branch to India. When PTI Chairman Imran Khan won the 2018 elections, he had said that he wanted to fix ties with India as well. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s overtures were always met with either silence or more hawkish affirmations like the war-like situation after Pulawama and then the August 5, 2019, step where India revoked Occupied Kashmir’s special status. That India has been violating human rights in Kashmir almost on a daily basis should be a cause of concern for the world community. Previously, Article 370 of the Indian constitution had granted limited autonomy to the people of Occupied Kashmir but New Delhi never allowed them to enjoy even that authority. The persecution of minorities in India, especially Muslims, has become a routine now and there is no sign coming from the government of India that it is ready for any meaningful talks. It is no secret that India’s policy vis-a-vis Pakistan under the Modi regime has been that of a virtual standoff, and the issue of Kashmir is the main reason why any government in Pakistan is always hesitant to make the first move without an unequivocal commitment by India.

Pakistan has repeated time and again that it wants a peaceful neighbourhood where there isn't always a looming threat of war of aggression by a bigger neighbour. In a world where economy trumps many other things, where even India and China or China and the United States continue to be trade partners despite hostilities, it is important for India and Pakistan to also give peace a chance. Trade between the two countries has a lot of potential but due to India’s Kashmir policy and the atrocities being committed there, no political government can take the chance of resuming dialogue. Under these difficult circumstances, PM Shehbaz’s conditional offer to talks is rather important. But it all depends on how India responds. Without any guarantees regarding Kashmir’s special status, it would not be possible to move ahead. A region that has already seen enough bloodshed to last it a lifetime, South Asia cannot move forward without Pakistan and India moving forward first. The entire region benefits if both countries reach an understanding on key issues and move forward with trade and open visa regimes. For that to happen, the first step has to be a resolution of the occupation of Kashmir by the Indian state.