Daily Times

Much speculation surrounds the visit to Murree by Indian tycoon Sajjan Jindal, and his meeting there with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A lot of the speculation revolves around whether he brought some special ‘message’ to the Pakistani government from its counterparts in India, or the extent to which some sort of back-channel diplomacy took place. There has also been criticism from some quarters of the protocol accorded to him. The ruling party for its part appears to be distancing itself from anything ‘secret’ when it comes to the meeting, with Maryam Nawaz tweeting that the tycoon is an old friend of her father, the Prime Minister.

It must be admitted that the meeting was somewhat unexpected, given the relatively tense relations between the two countries. It is also a fair demand to ask that an elected government be more forthcoming over dealings — if any — with foreign countries, through any channels.

However, it should also be borne in mind that at the end of the day, governments must talk to each other. In tense times, personal contacts between powerful stakeholders of two countries are nothing new. More importantly, such contacts ought not to be necessarily seen in an ominous light. Even if some back-channel diplomacy was conducted through a meeting of the Prime Minister and Mr Jindal, it is now of the utmost importance that the business of diplomacy continue. Diplomatic relations and communication between the governments of two nuclear-armed states are too important to be sacrificed to the whims of hawkish voices on either side. Those who believe that relations between the two countries are currently too tense for such communication should perhaps explain what alternative they prefer. Talking at a Pakistani hill resort is far better than exchanges of fire in the hills of Kashmir — for both sides.

Above all, it must be remembered that the official purpose of Mr Jindal’s visit was business, since he was in the country on a business visa. No well-wisher of Pakistan ought to oppose efforts to increase investment and trade between the two countries. After all, such economic ties, if successfully established, are a far more firm guarantee of peace in the future than well-meaning statements or proxy wars — and this is true for both sides. *