With border skirmishes escalating, the blame game is on. Indian hostility is remarkable and the statements from both sides have kept the pot boiling. One should not be optimistic about cordial Pak-India ties in the presence of India’s biased policy of non-acceptance towards Pakistan. Indo-Pak ties had changed for the better when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Ufa, Russia — during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting. That was a gesture of goodwill between both the nuclear rival states. However, the cancellation of National Security Advisors’ (NSA) meeting and then border skirmishes brought uncertainty to the recent commitment of negotiations. The borders skirmishes have been become a daily affair since Modi assumed charge as prime minister, last year.Both the states have been facing a number of mutual concerns from the very first day of their independence: the princely states issue, the division of assets and especially the Kashmir issue, which is still to be resolved. The 1965 war, the separation of East Pakistan and, just after three years, the Indian nuclear test in May 1974 caused alarm for Pakistan’s security. Nevertheless, beside the mutual differences and concerns, Pak-India ties have been the victim of the policy of non-acceptance from the Indian side, which is the core cause of the mutual distrust and exasperation. From the very first day of the establishment of the All India Muslim League, the policy of non-acceptance has bloomed in the minds of the Hindus. Now, that policy is more than a hundred years old — so, how we can expect friendly and cordial attitude from India.At the time of the creation of Pakistan, India believed that Pakistan cannot survive for a long time and will soon cede to India. However, with the blessings of Allah Almighty, Pakistan survived and will survive forever, Inshallah. Then, India tried its best to establish its hegemony over the region to destabilise Pakistan and make it subservient to India. Indeed, Pakistan’s creation was the rejection of Indian hegemony by the Muslims. India’s first nuclear test in May 1974 was a huge step, after some fail attempts, to establish its hegemony over Pakistan in the shape of nuclear power. Up till India’s first nuclear test, there was no plan in Pakistan to make nuclear weapons. However, this aggressive move compelled Pakistan to start its own nuclear program to balance the hostile India.Last week, the cross-border violence took place once again, targeted civilians, which should be stopped, forever and not just for weeks or months. Although the NSA-level talks have been cancelled, the meeting between Pakistan’s Director General (DG) of Rangers and the DG of the Indian border security forces will be held in New Delhi in September. As much as the possibility of success in these talks seems to ease tensions on both sides, we should not be optimistic after having experienced a number of high-level talks, in which we have achieved nothing. Every time, we have failed to make the negotiations fruitful rather than to play a zero-sum game.Although the experts claim that implementing confidence-building measures, avoiding interference in one another’s affairs, economic engagement and reducing hostile perceptions can lead to smooth Indo-Pak ties. However, there is only one thing that can pave the way for future negotiations as well as cooperation between both the states: if India avoids the policy of non-acceptance towards Pakistan. That is a prerequisite for all these measures. Ironically, despite all the hostile rhetoric, India claims sincerity in dialogue with Pakistan. However, everyone knows about India’s designs.In May last year, Pakistan’s premier, Nawaz Sharif, participated in the swearing-in ceremony of his new Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, which was a gesture of goodwill from Pakistan’s side. However, that time too, in his swearing-in ceremony he tried to send a message to the world about the India’s hegemony over the region in these words: “the presence of the regional leaders had sent a clear message to the world about India’s strength.”The current Indian Advisor for National Security, Ajit Doval, once said: I have spent seven years as a spy man in Lahore. Does it suit a country that claims to be the biggest democracy of the world to appoint him such a person to a high level seat? How can we expect a shared and realistic vision from India to guide its policies towards Pakistan?Mutual matters of concern and disputes are not the root causes of sour Pak-India ties. India’s biased psyche towards Pakistan is the core cause that needs to be addressed. One should not be optimistic that the arrangement of negotiations and dialogue will resolve core concerns like the Kashmir dispute, mutual interference, water and border issues etc. Cordiality in relations will only come once there is a change in the psyche and mind-set of the arrogant Indian establishment and leadership towards Pakistan. The writer is a researcher and freelance columnist based in Peshawar. He can be reached at iqbalyousafzai786@gmail.com