Towards a Rapprochement?
By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was in Pakistan early this week. Observers both in India and abroad are interpreting this visit as the beginning of a thaw between India and Pakistan. From the deliberations and informal interactions of Jaishankar with Pakistani leadership including his counterpart may indicate to such a possibility. At the same time, it may be noted that the EAM was attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. There was no bilateral component in his visit. However, it is worth our while to examine both these interpretations.
External Affairs Minister went to Pakistan primarily to attend the 25th Annual Summit of the SCO which was attended by all the ten members including Russia, China, Iran, Belarus and Central Asian states. The SCO is important for India as New Delhi would not like to isolate from friendly-countries like Russia, Central Asian States and Iran.
The deliberations in SCO were guarded perhaps in view of the sensitivity between India and Pakistan. Any controversy involving both countries was avoided. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif significantly made no reference to the Kashmir dispute in his speech, a departure from their tradition. Only last month on the 27 in his speech in UN General Assembly, Sharif harshly called out India on Kashmir comparing it to Israel’s action in Palestine.
As said, India did not want to boycott SCO summit even though it was held in Pakistan. New Delhi had stayed away from multilateral meetings held or scheduled to be held in Islamabad. That includes the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit. Second, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, abstaining from attending the meeting suggests that New Delhi has diluted its participation. SCO summit calls upon the Heads of government to attend.
Third, Jaishankar was quite sharp in his articulation on India’s position and perspectives. He urged the members to have an ‘honest conversation’. He added, “If trust is lacking, if friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address.” He alluded to China’s BRI and said that cooperation on trade, investment, connectivity, and energy flows must respect territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries. He picked three evils of SCO Charter which are: terrorism, separatism, extremism. He underlined that if activities across borders are reflecting these three evils, they are hardly likely to enhance bilateral relations.
The general impression given out of the Summit was that a productive meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government concluded in Islamabad. As usual, SCO signed a few documents which include Economic Dialogue Programme, cooperation between trade promotion organisations of SCO member states, collaboration in ‘creative economy’ and passing of the SCO annual budget.
The obvious question raised by media persons was whether India attending SCO meeting in Islamabad will lead to normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan. Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said to one of the leading Indian newspapers, “there has been a lot in the past between India and Pakistan. Any new initiative in future would be dictated purely by the principle of reciprocity.” From such statements, it appears that Jaishankar’s presence in Pakistan may not lead towards reconciliation. Jaishankar himself had stated in Delhi before his departure that, “I am going to Pakistan to be a good member of SCO”. So, we are back to square one. Jaishankar was there to attend the SCO meeting. The question is whether SCO, structurally, is attempting to bring about a normalisation of India-Pakistan relations. On the contrary, countries like China are aggravating the tension between two countries.
Remember that India suspended any dialogue with Pakistan citing a principle that “talks and terror cannot go hand in hand”. This happened after the Pulwama attack in 2019 which claimed lives of 40 Indian soldiers. Recall also that Pakistan tried to make a lot of noise internationally when New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution divesting the State of Jammu & Kashmir of its Special Status. India has treated any reference to Jammu and Kashmir as interference in its internal affairs. Pakistan, on the other hand, has leaned on China to counter India. It is another matter that Islamabad forgets that it is walking into a dragon-trap by nudging up to Beijing.
Let us accept the obvious premise that India-Pakistan relations will not improve unless Pakistan becomes a genuine democracy by freeing itself of the stranglehold of its army. The Pakistani army is corrupt, selfish and self-serving unlike Indian Army which is known for its valour, apolitical approach and sacrifice. The Army running the civil administration poses that risk. This has been realised across the world. Pakistani population is well-disposed to India. In my visits to Pakistan, I have always felt at home. Many Indian visitors have similar experience. Pakistanis look up to India for sustaining democracy, diversity, spirit of accommodation and tolerance. They have hardly anything in common with Chinese.
Given a free choice, Pakistani people and their leadership will veer towards India for the said and other reasons. Likewise, the leadership in New Delhi should stop using Pakistan as an election plank in order to consolidate the Hindu electorate. That is not in the long-term interest of India. One can win elections but lose friends in neighbourhood and endanger its own security. Atal Behari Vajpayee, a veteran leader of BJP and a former Prime Minister used to say, “You can change your friends, but not your neighbours.” The SAARC became stalled purely because of internecine conflict between India and Pakistan. This stunts progress in regional integration.
Therefore, it is in India’s national interest to use this opportunity and rebuild bridges with Pakistan. India’s main adversary is China. Weaning away Pakistan from China, would be a strategic move. Russia may give a hand to India to normalise relations with Pakistan. The SCO, even though, may not provide any tangible benefits to India, it provides a platform to interact with countries which it may not otherwise do. Such fortuitous meetings help build a climate of warmth, confidence and goodwill which are necessary for good diplomacy. As India has been maintaining that dialogue and diplomacy are the mechanism to resolve differences and conflicts.
Let the SCO meeting in Islamabad where India participated, mark the beginning of a new chapter in India-Pakistan relations. The kind of deliberations and statements seen in Islamabad should serve as a model for future interactions between India and Pakistan. A normalisation of India-Pakistan relations is in the interest of both countries as well as the South Asian region. —INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance) New Delhi 17 October 2024
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