How will India treat Pakistan’s proposal?
Nawaz Sharif has done well to offer a four-point peace initiative in his UNGA address for defusing the Pak-India impasse. While the initial Indian response is highly combative, one will have to wait for the response from Sushma Swaraj when she delivers her address in the General Assembly. While it can be argued that Nawaz Sharif’s proposals are quite rational, reason often takes a back seat when it comes to the pursuit of national interests as perceived by those at the helm of the affairs. Sharif has made a suggestion which is in contradiction with the conventional Indian stand by seeking an increased role for the UN Military Observers Group to monitor the observance of the ceasefire. Two of the suggestions have met with strong opposition from the Indian side in the past, the one seeking the demilitarisation of the Indian controlled Kashmir and the other an unconditional mutual withdrawal from Siachen Glacier.
Politics being the art of the possible, there is a need on both sides to revive the dialogue to find out what give and take is possible to break a stalemate which suits neither India nor Pakistan. So far the Indian Foreign Minister has remained busy lobbying for India’s seat in the UN Security Council. Sartaj Aziz on the other hand has been holding meetings with counterparts from other countries to enlist their support for Pakistan’s position on Kashmir and its regional policy and to seek enhanced economic cooperation. While both were present at the SAARC foreign ministers informal meeting on Thursday, there was no attempt by either side to break the ice.
Both the Prime Ministers have returned from the US. A chance to improve relations has been lost. One can only hope that in days to come they give diplomacy a chance. Even if there can’t be a consensus at present on some of the peace initiatives, can’t both sides agree on the less controversial suggestion reaffirming that they will not resort to the use or the threat of use of force under any circumstances?
