Since Islamabad has been signalling its intention to normalise relations with Delhi and hopefully develop extensive trade ties, and the only thing coming from across the eastern border is consistent hostility, not to mention threats, PM Imran Khan did the right thing by reminding the neighbour of what Operation Swift Retort was all about on its third anniversary on February 27. It also provided a good opportunity to the government to reiterate its position that all conflicts can only be resolved on the negotiating table; never by flying your MiGs into another country’s territory (only to be shot down). Recent reports of backchannel bridges, neither confirmed nor denied by either country, have come as a much-needed ray of hope. Sadly, though, people and even countries in our part of the world have not learned what the Europeans did after the second world war; that the best way to make peace out of constantly warring neighbours is to bind them in long-term, mutually beneficial economic projects that both are bound to nurture and protect for their purposes. Pak-India talks, whenever they do occur, never really take off because both sides insist on beginning with the most contentious issues instead of hunting for common ground that can help them initiate high-value projects, which will, in turn, force each to come halfway to make peace whenever push comes to shove. Lately, Pakistan has been proposing to give a centre stage to trade and commerce as the first step towards a possible thaw. This would improve both economies and lives in both countries. But the Indians don’t seem interested. Perhaps, the main reason is that with nothing else going for the BJP, which has been in power in India since 2014, anti-Pakistan sentiment to mobilise the Hindu right wing is the only card it has left to play to secure its political future. But in putting its political survival before the economic needs of the region, Delhi ignores the fact that together Pakistan and India form the youngest part of the world in that the average age here is a lot less than in most other countries; something which is increasingly being touted as the region’s “demographic dividend.” It is essential to equip this youth bulge with necessary educational skills and give it the financial space it will need to thrive in a very competitive environment, and that will not be possible till the two countries whose diplomatic paralysis has kept entire south Asia’s trade hostage for more than half a century sit down and settle all their disputes. The other option is to keep lobbing mortars at each other across the Line of Control (LoC) and spewing venom in high-level speeches. Both countries, and their young populations, have seen how that has turned out so far. Therefore, the sooner the leadership in both capitals tilts towards commercial exchanges, the better for everybody on all sides. *