Daily Times

Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif once again showed his resolve to normalise relations with India and presented four proposals to ease tensions between India and Pakistan. These proposals are respect for the ceasefire understanding of 2003, reaffirmation of the two states to refrain from use of force or threat to use force against each other, steps to demilitarise Kashmir and withdrawal of forces from Siachen.

In January 2003, India and Pakistan formally agreed to a formal ceasefire between the two states along the International Border, the Line of Control (LoC) and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir. At that time, analysts described it as the first comprehensive agreement of its kind. This ceasefire agreement was proposed by Pakistan and India reciprocated by extending it to Siachen as well. It was considered a comprehensive agreement that would contribute positively in the peace process between the two states but, despite a ceasefire, India violated the ceasefire agreement several times; this has intensified after the coming to power of Indian PM Modi who perhaps wants to keep Pakistani forces continuously engaged on the eastern frontier.

As far as use of force and threat to use force in bilateral relations is concerned India hardly believes in peaceful co-existence. It prefers to use hard power when it comes to its relations with neighbours. It is the compulsion of geography that all Indian neighbours do not share borders with each other but share with India, which subsequently gives India leverage to exercise immense power and control in its relations to smaller South Asian states to make them come to terms with it. Pakistan is the only South Asian state that can challenge Indian regional hegemony. The Indian government has not only been relying on mere rhetoric against neighbours but has also been using hard power to achieve its political objectives. This is not a new phenomenon but has been an Indian practice for decades. Indian PM Modi conceded Indian involvement in the 1971 political crisis in then East Pakistan during his visit to Bangladesh. These days the Indian unofficial blockade of Nepal manifests Indian desire for regional hegemony. Our PM’s proposal of not using force or threat of force cannot be acceptable for India.

As regards to the demilitarisation of Kashmir it is also not a new proposal but has been offered earlier as well but what to talk of demilitarisation of Kashmir when the Indian government has not been allowing Hurriyat leaders to meet Pakistani government representatives. India does not consider Kashmiri leaders a party to the conflict. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even in its election manifesto assured it would abrogate Article 370, which grants Kashmir a special status under the Indian Constitution. Moreover, the presence of 700,000 Indian forces in Indian Held Kashmir, the enforcement of the despotic Armed Forces Special Powers Act and now the rhetoric of the present Indian government against Kashmiris and Pakistan all make things worse. The opening of crossing points between both sides of Kashmir and the initiation of intra-Kashmir trade has not been continued. Pakistan has also handed over three dossiers showing Indian involvement in acts of terrorism to the secretary general of the UN. The PM has also pointed out the inability of the UN to play an assertive role in the resolution of Kashmir.

The fourth proposal of the PM of Pakistan has been the withdrawal of troops from Siachen. From time to time some progress has been made to resolve the issue of Siachen but due to one reason or another negotiations were stalled. This lack of political will has been the main hindrance to reaching an agreement. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has rejected Pakistan’s proposals by asking Pakistan to give up terrorism and has asked to hold talks at the level of National Security Advisors (NSAs) and Director General (DG) Military Operations on issues related to terrorism and the situation at the border.

Setting preconditions for talks and postponing them has become a practice now. Dialogue is a means to resolve outstanding issues and problems but the Indian government has made the dialogue an end in itself while denying Pakistan space to move forward. Pakistan should stick to its principled position on Kashmir and should utilise diplomatic channels to highlight the issue. Pakistan should deal with India on an equal footing and should not act from a position of weakness.

The writer works at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and can be reached at samanz.pk@gmail.com