
In an apparent departure from the hardline stance on talks with Pakistan, Defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that New Delhi was ready to talk to the neighbouring country if it stopped terrorism. This goes against the recent statement of the home minister Amit Shah, who said India would rather talk to youth in Kashmir than Pakistan. In contrast, Singh has sounded slightly more conciliatory, signaling a prospect of dialogue with Islamabad. However, it doesn’t mean that the dialogue will happen in the near future. The differences between the two countries are now too entrenched and irreconcilable to immediately lead to any engagement. More so, since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, which have sunk the relations between the two neighbours to their lowest. Ever since, Pakistan has sought reversal of the move which India has rejected. India, on the other hand, has asked Pakistan to end support to terrorism in Kashmir, which the latter has denied it has any role in. The mutual stance ensures that nothing changes on the ground.
Does the defence minister’s dialogue-favouring statement make any difference? It seems unlikely. This is despite the fact that even the Pakistan Army is reportedly in favour of resuming dialogue with New Delhi. In India, it would mean undoing a policy of the past decade during which the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has avoided any engagement with Pakistan. Particularly so, after 2019 when erasure of Article 370 which also drew Pakistan away from seeking dialogue with India. Prime Minister of Pakistan at the time Imran Khan adopted a hawkish approach towards New Delhi. But with Sharifs at the helm since 2022 – and more decisively so following the 2023 Pakistan election – there have been some tentative signs that the two countries might after all return to some engagement. But that hasn’t happened, in part, because it has been a deliberate policy of the BJP-led government at the centre not to engage Pakistan. In an interview to a television channel during his election campaign in May, the PM Modi made it clear that India “shouldn’t bother much about Pakistan and whether it changes its approach or not.” He added that for the past 10 years he had put a lock on Pakistan being a factor in running India. “Let Pakistan manage two square meals. We don’t need to waste our time,” he remarked, hinting at Pakistan’s dismal state of affairs.
But it would be a tragedy if India and Pakistan perpetually fail to live as normal neighbours. Improving bilateral relations between India and Pakistan could have profound regional implications. South Asia’s stability hinges on the relationship between its two largest countries. Constructive engagement between the neighbours could lead to enhanced cooperation in trade, water management, and counter-terrorism, benefiting the entire region.
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