Especially for leaders
The first thing Nawaz did wrong in Ufa was project the wrong body language. Granted, the Indian side sidestepped protocol since both leaders did not enter the room together, and Nawaz had little choice but walk up to Modi to shake his hand. The Indian press had a field day over the incident. But then the joint statement also made Pakistan look weak. That was the second thing he did wrong. It took up terrorism and even Lakhvi, but failed to mention Kashmir, or even some of Pakistan’s lesser concerns. The Indian press hailed this, particularly, as something of a diplomatic coup.
Body language is only partially trivial in politics. It does not impact negotiations, of course, but it helps win precious media points by ‘acting better’. Such is the world of politics. But joint statements, especially by prime ministers, are important. That is why this one has implications far beyond the Indian media. New Delhi is now saying all subsequent talks must revolve around the ‘agenda’ announced in the statement. Yet, as Sartaj Aziz was forced to point out not much later, there is really no question of any meaningful talks if Pakistan’s long-standing core demands are to be ignored. So, by saying what it is saying, the BJP either wants talks solely on the Indian agenda or no talks at all. And since it is a smart government, that means it wants no talks at all.
This is not the first time the Indian side has taken the one-step-forward-two-steps-back approach. Things seemed on the mend when Nawaz went to Delhi for Modi’s inauguration. But he hadn’t even left when New Delhi started to spin the meeting to its advantage. Also, considering Modi’s belligerence, and India’s provocations on the LoC and working boundary, it might be asking too much to expect concrete progress anytime soon. However, Islamabad must notice that it lost the initiative in Ufa. Modi’s provocations had finally drawn international rebuke, and he was forced to concede to talking to Pakistan. By letting him play bully again, Pakistan has not lost anything intrinsic, but it has lost momentum.
