PML(N) President Mian Nawaz Sharif has told a group of Indian journalists, visiting to cover the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit just ended, when they called on him at his Jati Umra residence, that the presence of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the summit was a good sign, and that it could be the beginning of a normalization of ties between the two countries. Mr Jaishankar had attended only because Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to avoid coming to Pakistan, which he had last done in 2015, when he made a sudden visit on returning from Kabul. This refusal by Mr Modi has meant that no SAARC summits have been held since 2014.
Mr Sharif’s statement cannot be dismissed as starry-eyed optimism because of his long experience of dealing with India, and because of the influence has over Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, it should be noted that Mr Jaishankar carefully avoided any bilateral contacts, However, Mr Sharif managed to touch on many of the reasons why Pakistan and India need to mend fences. Himself a cricket enthusiast, he expressed the sentiments of fans on both sides of the border when he said that cricketing ties should be resumed. He also had a point when he said that the two countries had to work together on climate change, and on bilateral trade. He noted that trade took place via third countries, and that direct trade would mean saving on transport costs. He did not mention it, but normalization of relations would mean less justification, on both sides of the border, for the defence establishments that they presently maintain.
However, it is only because he probably wished to remain upbeat that he did not address the real reason for the Indo-Pak stalemate: the obdurate refusal of India under Modi and his BJP to address any of the concerns of Pakistan. Indeed, as the revocation of Indian-Held Kashmir’s status showed, the Modi government has gone out of its way to worsen them. This is all of a piece with its anti-Muslim policy. Mr Sharif cannot gloss over the fact that the Indian government consists of Hindu chauvinists and extremists. Mr Sharif seems to have forgotten that Pakistan was created precisely because of this Hindu mindset, which has been bedevilling communal relations ever since the British conquered the Subcontinent.
