Regarding Pakistan, especially
Finally the BJP postures towards a more balanced foreign policy with regard to Pakistan. It took 10 months of failed diplomatic aggression – which included departures from political traditions – but the party’s national executive meeting ahead of the weekend did make some interesting observations. First, of course, is the mention of talks with Pakistan without the strange BJP novelty – no Hurriyet, etc. Adopting such an extreme position, especially so soon into the new government, did not take long unraveling. Islamabad wisely stuck to its guns, ruling out progress till the Kashmiris were on board, while Modi’s chest thumping ran its course. Eventually, there weren’t many options for Delhi.
Then there is the usual mention of terrorism, though in an unusual way. Delhi has used the terror card to derail talks since long before Modi came to power. And his position has been no different so far. The draft coming from the executive, though, called for ‘… peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan, predicated on an end to terrorism’ and ‘gain the neighbour’s cooperation to root out terrorism from the region’. This, as the language suggests, is a departure from the old line, which called for Pakistan to ‘dismantle’, etc, the terror infrastructure before serious talks.
Interestingly, Pakistan repeatedly proposed just such an arrangement going back to the Musharraf years. But India was never willing to play along. And its doubts about Pakistan’s commitment cannot be taken at face value, precisely because it was unwilling to take the acid test; which meant cooperating to fight terror. If anything, Delhi played right into terrorists’ hands every time there was an incident, by widening the cleavage with Islamabad. That is why this development is so significant. Islamabad must welcome the BJP’s new policy proposition. Indeed, the only way Pakistan and India can move forward is if they resolve all outstanding issues, including terrorism and Kashmir, through dialogue and progressive cooperation. Anything less would be unfair to millions upon millions of innocent people caught in an unending fight rooted in the past, yet hurting their present and future.