Modi’s war talk clouds Indo-Pak thaw

SRINAGAR: Pacifists were expecting a slight melting of ice during the forthcoming talks between Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries. But they bit their lips as Prime Minister Narindera Modi on Tuesday blamed Pakistan of waging “proxy war” against India. Modi was on his maiden visit to Ladakh, the Himalayan region bordering China and Pakistan. The prime minister did not stop there. “Pakistan has lost the capability of waging a conventional war and is now resorting to the proxy war,” he said in chaste Hindi. The prime minister also rued India’s sustained engagement with “terrorism” and said, “India would not have suffered as much in a proper war as it has suffered due to terrorism.”

The speech has left peaceniks in a double whammy because Modi’s earlier postures had thrown up hopes of a possible detente between India and Pakistan, South Asia’s most estranged cousins.  During his earlier visit to Udhampur, where he flagged off the Katra rail service for Hindi devotees visiting Mata Vaishnov Devi, Modi had steered clear of politically loaded remarks. He had limited himself to development. In Ladkh too Modi sketched out his vision of a “happy Kashmir” yet he momentarily strayed into the territory of Pakistan bashing.

Barely two days before Modi flew to Leh, his party’s Muslim face Mukhtar Abaas Naqvi had hinted a big thaw in the relations of the two countries. “The relations between both the countries weren’t good earlier but the ice was broken right after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister,” said Naqvi on Sunday. “Relations are becoming better now which is a good start. If Pakistan honestly thinks in this direction, then there is no problem in that. In fact it is a very good thing as Modi always thinks that the relation between two countries should always be good,” he added. 

A day before Modi’s landing in Ladakh, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he regretted the fact that Pakistan was having bad relations with India and said it was time the two had good relations. He also said that he hoped that the planned meeting of the foreign secretaries would help move the ties forward. 

Although Pakistan has dropped enough hints that it has no problem the issue of cross-border terrorism with Pakistan, it wants the terrorism be referred to as a global problem not something India sees endemic to Pakistan. “Pakistan supports Kashmir cause and Kashmiris have been resisting Indian control for 67 years. That is a different story. We need to move forward unconditionally, without attaching riders,” said a Pakistani diplomat.

Earlier, the opposition Congress had cautioned the Modi government about the risk of “slip and slide” over the proposed foreign secretary level talks between India and Pakistan on August 25.  “The country must have some deliverables first before moving forward to hold a dialogue,” senior Congress leader was quoted as saying past week. 

“The government should tell in clear terms what is the change in the situation… Whether an improvement has happened from the earlier situation. What will our Foreign Secretary talk (about),” Khurshid said, but hastened to add that his Congress party was not against talks with neighbors.

Meanwhile various NGOs including Indo-Pak ‘Dosti Manch’, Folklore Research Academy and Punjabi Jagriti Manch have planned a candle light vigil on Indo-Pak border on August 14. The  move is part of promoting peace between the two countries.  

Such was the effect of Modi’s soft approach toward Pakistan that the two countries have already planned the resumption of cricket ties. The International Cricket Council has confirmed that India and Pakistan are set to play a bilateral series in December 2015. This will be the first of six series scheduled between the two countries during the eight-year future tours programme cycle from 2015 to 2023.

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