Pak-India talks

The deadlock that appeared between India and Pakistan after August 2019 has prolonged ever since. Now Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed Pakistan’s desire to talk out differences and resolve outstanding issues through dialogue if India shows willingness to revisit its unilateral decisions taken on Aug 5, 2019. Qureshi was on a two-day visit to Turkey where he reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to talk with India. It is unfortunate that despite Pakistan’s repeated expression of interest to talk, the Indian side has displayed an obstinate reluctance to engage in direct talks through proper diplomatic channels, though there have been reports about the UAE trying to do some mediation between the two countries.

There has also been recent progress which is visible to all. The dialogue between the DGMOs of both countries, agreeing to a ceasefire on the Line of Control, set the first motion for an improvement in the current situation. Following this came the communication from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Pakistan Day congratulating the country on this occasion. There have also been other gestures, which may be small but are still significant given that the country has been at total standoff from New Delhi for months since 2019. The recent developments with the Pakistan government offering to help India as it faces the Covid-19 crisis are encouraging as well.

As Shah Mahmood has reiterated, Pakistan believes strongly that there can be no possibility of war between the two nations. The only solution is dialogue and discussion. This needs to be held seriously in an environment of some trust so that movement can be made, and the current state of angst and tension brought down. To achieve this, he has said the issues of Kashmir, of UN resolutions, the Sir Creek water dispute and other issues must be brought into the talks. As usual, the question will be whether to begin with confidence building measures or to move directly to the core issue of Kashmir. This is something the top diplomats of Pakistan must work out so that progress can be made as quickly as possible. Instead, there needs to be a position where dialogue continues at the highest levels, as well as at lower tiers and we return to the position that existed before the current state of hostility brought both countries to the brink of war. Lastly, the foreign minister’s reassurance that if any talks take place the nation will be taken into confidence at an appropriate time must be welcome. Let’s hope if any such talks are taking place, something good comes out of them.