In his Pakistan Day message to PM Imran Khan, Indian PM Narendra Modi expressed his country’s desire for cordial relations with Pakistani people. What is required for this, according to Mr Modi, is an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility.
One would welcome any move aimed at peace with India provided it contributes to the resolution of Kashmir issue, the key dispute between the two countries. In January PM Imran Khan insisted that there would be no talks with India until the restoration of J&K’s autonomous Status. At Islamabad Security Dialogue last week he again rejected the revocation as a unilateral move and underlined the need for an enabling environment for meaningful dialogue, “India must take the first step forward”. In case India does not accept the precondition will the PM still continue with the peace move?
Weeks earlier COAS Bajwa had called for extending the hand of peace in all directions. In yet another statement he maintained that people of Kashmir and the region deserved peace. Gen Bajwa said it was time to bury the past and move forward. In his March18 speech the COAS noted that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, process of sub-continental rapprochement will remain susceptible to derailment. Unlike the PM there was no mention of any precondition for initiating the dialogue. Does this indicate that there are differences in the approach. There is need for the two sides to have uniformity in matters of policy.
Hopefully the peace move will not face the fate of President Musharraf’s efforts in the direction. Once Musharrf was no more the COAS, the Kashmir plan was left to gather dust by his successor. To avoid this there is a need for the military establishment to put on record its endorsement of its top leadership’s plan.
No peace policy will succeed unless it has public support in Pakistan. For this there is a need to take the opposition also on board. The Arab countries that are pressing for peace have large investments in India and are naturally wary of war. They however are not much concerned about the plight of the Kashmiris. One of the sponsors of peace had in fact endorsed the Indian move to revoke Article 370. Pakistan on the other hand cannot ignore the Kashmiris.
