India and Pakistan, amazingly, have nothing but the barest relationship at present. India is more concerned about China’s activities along its border and China’s plans for the Brahmaputra River, disregarding India’s rights as a lower riparian nation.
Meanwhile Pakistan is busy assuring US President Donald Trump that it is at the forefront of combating terrorism; it is also busy ensuring that any initiative in Afghanistan happens only with Rawalpindi’s (the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters) consent or only with a role for Islamabad.
India and Pakistan are not doing business with each other; they are not talking to each other; they don’t even look at one another. Only each country’s media take note of the other nation: as a bogeyman.
Such distrust was manifest recently when this columnist was on the sidelines of a Track II meeting of retired officials from the two nations. Track II is a non-official talking-shop, held in a third country, where both parties open up without fear of prejudicing their nation’s official positions. Meetings are off the record and are not referred to publicly, except in this general manner. However, the atmosphere at this Track II meeting bears a mention as an indication of the nadir to which relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors has fallen.
The most recent official interaction was last week’s reaction by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs to India’s appointment of former Intelligence Bureau head Dineshwar Sharma as New Delhi’s interlocutor to individuals and organizations in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the Indian border state that Pakistan has claimed since 1947, and which has been conflict-torn since 1990. Pakistan dismissed the appointment as insincere and unrealistic.
“For any dialogue process to be meaningful and result-oriented, it has to include the three main parties: India, Pakistan, and the Kashmiris. In that context, without the participation of the Hurriyat leadership, no interaction or dialogue would carry any weight or meaning,” a spokesman for the Pakistani Foreign Office told reporters.
It was a bleak and negative reaction. Sharma is an old Kashmir hand whose appointment was welcomed by renowned experts on the region such as former Indian spy chief A S Dulat, who said he could not imagine Sharma not talking to the Hurriyat leadership.
The All Party Hurriyat Conference is a conglomerate of separatist Kashmiri organizations, and its moderate faction is headed by Srinagar’s chief priest, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Despite pinpricks by hardliners in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs the governments both in New Delhi and in J&K (albeit in a coalition), Sharma has de-emphasized the technical aspects of any political differences by highlighting his “emotional attachment” to Kashmir.
In any case, forward movement is not expected for another three to four months.
Discussions made it clear that the Pakistanis do not think much of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They were dismissive of his diplomacy toward Pakistan
Immediately after the Pakistani Foreign Office statement, the Track II meeting (which had long ago been scheduled) happened. The atmosphere was frosty and filled with bitterness.
The Pakistanis lectured on the bilateral relationship and one retired official insisted on terming the Kashmir issue as a “dispute.” This is a meaningless term designed only to needle, much like the hoary old phrase that Indian officials needlessly resort to: “talking to Kashmiris within the constitution of India” (as if any Indian can talk “outside” the constitution).
The Pakistanis were skeptical that Sharma’s appointment would serve any purpose, and they were suspicious about India’s motives in appointing an interlocutor, insisting it was to appease US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who arrived in India a day after Sharma’s appointment.
Discussions made it clear that the Pakistanis do not think much of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They were dismissive of his diplomacy toward Pakistan: like his high-currency demonetization a year back, Modi’s gestures toward Pakistan comprised spur-of-the-moment theatrics that ignored any hard preparation or calculation of consequences.
The Pakistanis are still skeptical about Modi’s order of so-called surgical strikes on terrorist camps on their side of the Line of Control in September 2016: They say Modi’s claims on its success are overblown.
No one smiled.
The irony is that the Pakistanis also believe that Modi is the only Indian leader they can do business with. For them, with Modi what you see is what you get – there is no pretense that other (read Congress) governments have shown while stubbornly resisting any substantial give-and-take in bilateral relations.
That is probably why Pakistani officials believe Modi will return to power in 2019, when India’s parliamentary polls are due. Any mention of a potential non-Modi prime minister in 2019 drew cries of “No, we don’t want that” from the Pakistani delegation.
Pakistan has possibly resigned itself to the very thing that hawks in India have argued for – putting bilateral relations in deep freeze. It is a shame considering that US-Canada or even US-Mexico relations are more mutually beneficial than those between North and South Korea, which is increasingly what India-Pakistan relations appear to mirror. That won’t help when a crisis hits.
The writer seems to be more concerned and in awe of pakistani opinion. Cant Understand as to how the useless Track -2 efforts especially with a Rogue state would bear fruit. Simple waste of tax payers Money and free paid holidays to retired beaurocrats make Track-2 a disgusting feature.As regards paorkistani opinion about Modi or India’s achievements- does that have any bearing to any average Indian , secondly no average Indian is dying to either talk or trade with porkistani’s . Aditya sinha may have his own personal reasons of Unease about No communication between the two countries but he conveniently forgets that India still continues to provide Humanitarian assistance to the porkistani patients wanting free subsidised treatment in India rather than their main benefactor and their Birather Mulk- China. Am sure no Indian is dying of Hunger or grief for want of talks with a terror laced blood thirsty society.
India’s persistent defiance of a dozen UN Resolutions on Kashmir its blatant defiance of Int’l law are quoted as examples why the UN should be empowered for forced execution of its Resolutions and for adherence to Int’l law through a UN armed force. A UN force should evict India from Kashmir a plebecite then held as per UN Resolutions under UN supervision for Kashmiris to choose if they want yo be independent or join India or Pakistan.
Indian troops in 1962 debacle for India when Nehru ordered the Indian army to ‘throw out the Chinese from Indian territory’ and istead the Indian force was carted off to China as POWs they returned healthier than when captured
There is no way India can digest Kashmir its 85,000 strong army of occupation in Kashmir and which has killed over 100,000 Kashmiri men women children since 1989 is on way to becoming the first
army in history to exit yelping like street dogs under hail of stones being pelted on it by Kashmiris including women and children.
Pakistan wad born out of rabid intolerance and ReligionBasedHatred. As such, Pakistan will cease to exist if it stops anti-India rhetoric/activities/proxy-war/war/terror-acts/jihad.., Kashmir or no Kashmir.
Pakistan is burning hell in the fire of hate, will surely implode. So, India not having any relation with Pakistan, make sense.
As one can easily see your level of intellect nd understanding as u can’t even name a country properly nd trying to act funny sir there’s no place in diplomacy, journalism nd in global politics for the biased people like u
Its high time for Indians to realise if it wants to be prosper wants access to unlimited minreal, gas, petro resources of Middle East and Central Asia and also on same front wants to counter China’s move. Its keys to success lies with Pakistan and in order to obtain It needs to retire from IOK otherwise things will go from bad to worst because their are several movements mounting against India 🙂
Hahaha no need of pakistan transit route we have chabhara route india-iean-afghanistan
Vipulkumar Sharma India should be careful dealing with Afghanistan it’s first foreign rulers were Afghans.
Gaurav Gupta Very brave of 85000 Indian army to have ‘finished off’ Burhan Vani the Indian army is dodging stones pelted by Kashmiris incl women and children and Indian soldiers will exit Kashmir yelping.
S.Khalid Husain, dream on, that’s every beings right.
S.Khalid Husain, don’t worry, enemy’s – enemy is a freind. That’s how China uses porkistan and vice versa.
Pakistan was created to save Muslims from discrmination for their Muslimness as they strongly were in 1937 in provinces in which Hindu Congress had formed Interim govts after 1937 elections which were dissolved by Brits in 1939 at start of WW2 the Pakistan Resolution was passed on 1940 the treatment of Muslims in India has vindicated partition many times over.
Hasan Siftain – God forbid the day – India needs Porkistaan for anything, if one were to look at partition then one can only look back and say- Good riddance. India shall and will develope by its own sheer grit and will power, For India -porkistaan is only equivalent to one of its province called uttar pradesh and there are 29 other states- galloping and striving hardto make life better for its citizens. An example being development of south Korea versus North Korea. You know the vast difference in development of these two nations product of partition. therefore We shall and will rise without any body joining In. As it is bangladesh, Sri lanka, Bhutan and burma are all benefitting with their association with India. Porkistaan is an isolated state and so be it.It is your country which needs our market , our produce and our hospitals to get treatment. why dont you guys go to china your birather mulk for treatment instaed of begging our foreign minister for visas.
What a nonsense u are talking about. Modi & India are terrorist, fascist & religious fanatics
Gaurav Gupta India was gifted freedom by Brits in1947 and is free for first time in its over 3000 years history India will take some time to learn to function as free state the world has to be wee bit patient with India during its learning process.
It’s high time that India should stop Pakistan bashing all the time secondly since India is construsting a number of dams on rivers flowing towards Pakistan so why she is crying when China is doing the same. International media & even Indian media have accepted that she is creating problems for Pakistan from Afghanistan & even in Baluchistan.But while doing these subversive activities she forgets that around 17 different independent movements are going on in its territories & she is playing with fire!
If I were PM, I would simply withdraw out of Indus Water treaty, divert all of Indus waters and start using pinakas on LOC and Jammu border non stop to punish the daylight out of pakis for their provocations.
Ever since BJP government has stepped in power corridor, diplomacy has given less preference over power politics. BJP is reluctant to initiate diplomatic initiatives to resolve long standing disputes such as Kashmir. Modi’s aggressive policy has already taken regional peace to the lowest. Pakistan is weak in terms of military and economy when it compared with India. Therefore, Pakistan’s voice has never been respected in New Delhi’s decision making circles. Rather, a hawkish and violent policy has been followed to coerce Pakistan. Thanks to Modi and his BJP’s aggressive policies, peace remains distant cry for South Asia.
No peace in southasia specially pak Ind is possible without resulotion of Kashmir.disputes resolving with talk is a beneficial methods to pregress and development to compete the world who try to sell arms on both and to stop both from developments. The budgets of arm races if spent on poverty then surly both countries will have a successful and prosper life ahead.@ think for batter.
Gaurav Gupta India is free for first time in history let India not lose in less than hundred years what it has gained in thousands of years.
Gaurav Gupta. hmm… remember babri masjid, surely it wasn’t a dream
Pakistan dislike "Hindu India" and yet they watch Indian movies which has song and dance which comes from Hinduism. In 1947 they wanted to be separate from india and yet today when there children falls sick they come to india for medical treatment from a doctor who might be a Hindu or a Sikh. Such shameless hypocrite. The land of "Pure is a beggar entity of pure terror.