End of Dialogue?

Does this mean the end of future dialogue with Pakistan? Not necessarily. In fact, the two countries had engaged informally months after the revocation of Article 370. The back-channel talks were reported to have begun towards November 2020 and by February 2021, the two countries had reinstated the otherwise defunct 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control. The truce was marked by a brief spell of bonhomie between. Both the then Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and the Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa called for dialogue and resolving Kashmir in a peaceful manner. Bajwa even said that it was time for the two countries to “bury the past,” and move on. India, however, remained cool to these overtures. On a positive note,  the LoC truce has since lingered. The dialogue has not materialized though.

Shahbaz Sharif led coalition government in Pakistan which took over after the ouster of Imran Khan has also made no outreach to New Delhi as was expected. And expectedly so. Pakistan is so much hemmed in by internal turmoil and the economic problems that it is unlikely that Sharif would find time or in his interest to seek to rebuild the relationship with India. So, there is apparently not much in store on this front. The new government in Pakistan has just sixteen months before the national elections are called in the country. That is if no early elections are held. Similarly, in India, fresh general elections are due in one and a half years. So, there is no chance of a bilateral dialogue unless both countries see it in their interest to resume it, which looks unlikely.