India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Pakistan for the 2024 SCO Summit on Tuesday-Wednesday, marking the first trip by an Indian EAM in almost a decade. Following the visit, Jaishankar thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani government for their warm hospitality. At the summit, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s firm position against terrorism and extremism, while outlining key objectives for the SCO.
The foreign minister held two meetings with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, who also serves as the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, within a span of 24 hours. Media reports have said that the talks explored the possibility of reviving cricketing ties between the two nations. While still at a preliminary stage, these discussions signal a potential opening, with the Champions Trophy, set to be hosted by Pakistan next February, emerging as a possible first step.
But will Jaishankar’s visit lead to thaw in the relations? Only time will tell. It, however, seems unlikely that this will help anytime soon. India, Pakistan relations have invariably been an unpredictable affair. Any engagement is aborted sooner than one expects. So, there isn’t much that one can read into an odd meeting, even if it is between the foreign ministers of the two countries. For, any slight goodwill generated may not last long. In India, it would mean undoing a policy of the past decade during which the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has avoided any engagement with Pakistan. More so, after 2019 when erasure of Article 370 which also drew Pakistan away from seeking dialogue with India.
With Sharifs at the helm since 2022 – and more decisively so following the 2023 Pakistan election – there have been some tell-tale signs that the two countries might after all return to some engagement. That hasn’t happened, in part, because it has been a deliberate policy of the BJP-led government at the centre not to engage Pakistan.
But it is about time that they do. Diplomatic gestures, no matter how small, can build trust and pave the way for more substantive negotiations. The leadership in both countries must recognize that peace and stability are in their mutual interest and work towards resolving contentious issues through dialogue rather than conflict. The steps, if followed by consistent diplomatic efforts, could lead to a significant reduction in tensions and the ushering in of a new era of peace and cooperation in South Asia. Both nations must seize this opportunity to foster a stable and prosperous future for their people and the region.
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