Prospect of a thaw

INDIA-PAKISTAN relations have witnessed a series of lows since the January 2016 Pathankot terror attack, which had happened barely a week after PM Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Lahore to extend birthday wishes to then premier Nawaz Sharif. The ties deteriorated so sharply last year after the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot airstrikes that India did not even invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Modi’s swearing-in, even as Sharif had attended the ceremony when the NDA-I government took charge in 2014. The abrogation of Article 370 and the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act have further riled the neighbour.

Amid the prolonged chill, the prospect of a thaw has emerged, with India deciding to invite Imran Khan for the annual meeting of the council of heads of government of the China-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) later this year. While the SCO charter stipulates that the host can’t leave out any member country, India has the opportunity to use the international platform to re-engage with Pakistan. Once the invitation is extended, the onus will be on Imran to be present himself to reciprocate the diplomatic overture or send one of his ministers.

This semblance of a breakthrough has coincided with Imran’s reaffirmation of Pakistan’s ‘unshakeable’ political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people. Pakistan’s continued meddling in India’s internal affairs, besides its failure to effectively crack down on terror groups operating from its soil, has widened the trust deficit. Despite the acrimony over the K-issue, India has repeatedly held out the olive branch, only to get a rude shock in the form of one terror attack or the other. With the spectre of blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) looming large, Pakistan can afford to be preoccupied with Kashmir only at its own peril. On its part, the Indian government can’t take the moral high ground as long as the J&K leaders remain detained. It’s in the interests of both countries to look at the big picture and defuse tensions so as to facilitate trade, tourism, sports contests, cultural exchange and, in general, people-to-people contact.