Pak – India tensions

And ways of reducing them

It is important to unbundle Pak-India ties now, before more time is lost, or the knot will become bigger and stronger and, therefore, that much more difficult to unravel. News, therefore, that Indian Interior Minister Rajnat Singh will visit Islamabad for SAARC home ministers conference on Aug3 is welcome. If used properly the visit could well become the pivot point to turn things around in this troubled equation. This will be the first high-level exchange since Pathankot and, especially since Kashmir worsened considerably since then, a lot is likely to be discussed on the sidelines.

Meantime the outcome of two days of meetings between Pakistani Rangers and Indian Border Security Force has also been encouraging. Both have decided to work out contingencies to prevent the kind of senseless exchanges that took place recently. Importantly, they also encouraged local commanders to resolve minor border management issues between themselves through frequent flag meetings. This shows a resolve not to let political gamesmanship poison the situation at the border, which can result in multiple deaths in a short span of time if not handled properly.

It’s not too realistic to expect a sudden thaw, of course, especially when these exchanges follow Sushma Swaraj’s ‘pipedream’ provocation and Sartaj Aziz’s subsequent snub. Delhi and Islamabad must realise, finally, that there is a price in blood to pay for provocative comments; especially since offensive and inflammatory politics is translating all too frequently into deaths across the LoC and working boundary and inside Kashmir as well. The Modi government has had its fair share of change of heart regarding Pakistan over the last couple of years. That, at least, cannot be said of Nawaz Sharif’s administration. Groups at home may have debated the pros and cons of Nawaz’s outreach, but the direction of his policy posture was never in question. Hopefully the two governments have learned enough from recent aggression to opt for negotiations and reconciliation as the way forward.