And a very clear regional policy
Few expected Modi’s rise across the border to go smoothly for Pakistan, even if the prime minister went to his inauguration brimming with hope of a better trade future, if nothing else. But Nawaz had not yet left Delhi that Modi’s position began becoming clear. Few people, on this side especially, failed to decipher the body language behind their foreign secretary’s rather ungracious, and unannounced, press conference. Nawaz probably regrets going the extra mile and not meeting Hurriyat leaders while in Delhi, not the least because Hurriyat has become the latest feature in India’s irrational demands.
Delhi’s demand, that Islamabad must choose between it and Hurriyat is a marked departure even from India’s stated position of many years. Pakistan has always kept Hurriyat in the loop, and Nawaz was the first head of state not to meet them in Delhi. In the past, Indian governments have also facilitated Pak-Hurriyat interaction, which is why the new policy is so radical. The BJP government is clearly cashing in on anti-Pakistan sentiment, and importantly, the initiative is not confined to its borders.
In the international arena too, especially in Afghanistan and America, India has made serious top-level noise about problems associated with Pakistan. Kabul has been hostile since Karzai came to power, but signs from Washington, of late, have been worrying. They are, finally, shouting louder than ever about Pakistan’s links with terrorism. Hopefully, concerns expressed to the US ambassador will be taken at face value in Washington, and the superpower will avoid taking such an obvious, and controversial, position on such sensitive matters when the regional situation is far from normal.
It is also becoming clear that India’s new government has decided to squeeze Pakistan out of the core-issue debate. And not only will it leverage whatever international backing it can to isolate Pakistan, its policy is also triggering favourable reaction inside India, which means Modi’s resolve will only be strengthened. Pakistan now needs to take a number of steps urgently. Firstly, the cabinet shuffle should produce, at least, a full time foreign minister. And there should be no two views about soft issues taking the lead till a time when disagreements too can be debated. The need for greater people-to-people interaction, and more trade, cannot be overstated, but that does not mean accepting India’s irrational and unacceptable belligerence on core issues.