This week WorldView comes to you from Pakistan. S. Jaishankar traveled to Islamabad for the SCO and meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

Dr. Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan for one of many firsts:

– First visit by any Indian minister since 2016- when Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SAARC meet

– First visit by an Indian Foreign Minister since 2015- when EAM Sushma Swaraj attended the Heart of Asia conference

– Jaishankar’s first visit since December 2015, when EAM Sushma Swaraj and PM Modi visited

What happened at the SCO?

Now the SCO meeting itself was not the highest level, but Heads of Govt level of the 10 SCO countries Russia, China 4 Central Asian States Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Iran, Belarus, Pakistan and India.

The Meeting itself saw the signing 8 MoUs, mainly on economic cooperation, as well as passing the budget ahead of the next SCO Summit in China in 2025.

More importantly both India and Pakistan stayed away from the finger pointing of past meetings.

In stark contrast to former FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who travelled to Goa for the SCO FM, Mr. Sharif made no oblique reference to Kashmir.

And Mr. Jaishankar spoke about India’s concerns on terrorism, using only SCO charter language that identifies Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism as the evils the region is grappling with.

Jaishankar also made a reference to China’s BRI and India’s objections to it passing through disputed PoK- saying territorial sovereignty must be respected.

On the sidelines Jaishankar met with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar twice- once at dinner and once at a lunch both hosted by PM Sharif, and they are understood to have held “informal conversations. However, the MEA played down the substance of the talks.

“In Islamabad, you would have seen, the only bilateral meeting that our External Affairs Minister had was with Mongolia. Other than that, there were some pleasantries which were exchanged on the sidelines of the meeting, especially during lunch and dinner. That is all,” said Randhir Jaiswal.

Perhaps the clearest signal of some softening came not from the official, but non-official side, as former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of PM Shehbaz and Father of Pakistan Punjab CM Maryam Sharif sat down with Indian journalists to talk about his vision for a better state of relations. Here are the highlights:

– He said India and Pakistan must bury the past and loo.k to future cooperation in trade, energy, battling climate change- but declined to respond on past issues of terrorism for India and Kashmir for Pakistan.

– That he appreciated Mr. Modi’s Lahore visit, calling it no small gesture and attacked former PM Imran Khan for his personal criticism of Modi in 2019, comparisons to Hitler and Mussolini

– That he believes trade, rail and road links should be restored, that Pakistan snapped in 2019, high commissioners should be reappointed, and India and Pakistan cricket teams should resume playing in each other’s countries- beginning with the Champions trophy in Pakistan in February.

– Mr. Sharif’s message was the third in a series- In May he said that the Kargil war was a mistake, and the MEA welcomed what it called an “objective view” on Pakistani actions. In June he tweeted congratulations to PM Modi on his third term, and PM Modi responded warmly.

– Mr. Sharif is not in office, and so unclear whether he spoke for the government, but he is the president.

Timing for any new opening:

1. Both elections this year- governments are expected to be stable

2. Conflicts in other parts of the world- no appetite for hostilities between India and Pakistan

3. Pakistan economy troubles

4. Allegations against India from US, Canada, Qatar- and Pakistan- this may be time to address

5. South Asian turmoil- time to revive regional cooperation

Worldview Take:

Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan, while purely for multilateral purposes, signals a possible opening for engagement. To begin with, if India can send a minister to Pakistan for one regional cooperation meet like SCO, then why not another like SAARC. The two countries have too much bad blood for any real optimism for the future, but visits like this one can build the atmosphere for the restoration of ties- in the present trough- even the absence of negativity is a positive step.

Reading recommendations:

Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan by Aditya Sondhi

Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan by Ajay Bisaria

India’s Pakistan Conundrum: Managing a Complex Relationship by Sharat Sabharwal

The People Next Door: The Curious History of India-Pakistan Relations by T.C.A. Raghavan

Hostility by Abdul Basit

An Indian Woman in Islamabad: 1997-2000 by Ruchi Ghanashyam

In Pursuit of Peace: India-Pakistan Relations Under Six Prime Ministers by Satinder Kumar Lambah

Script and presentation: Suhasini Haidar

Production: Shibu Narayan and Sabika Syed

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
| Photo Credit: PTI

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a recent discussion with The Hindu expressed hope for improving relations with India, suggesting that both countries should “pick up the threads of our conversation” and move forward as good neighbours.

Mr. Sharif praised the visit of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, calling it a positive step. “We would have liked Mr. Modi to come, but it was good that Mr. Jaishankar came,” he said, stressing that dialogue and collaboration should be the way forward.

Mr. Sharif reiterated the importance of not letting the next 70 years be marred by the conflicts of the past. He emphasised the need for both India and Pakistan to sit down and discuss their differences, adding that neither country could change its neighbours. He highlighted the potential of bilateral cooperation in areas like trade, industry, and electricity, reflecting on past conversations with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

When asked about issues like Kashmir and Article 370, Mr. Sharif declined to comment, stating that it was not the right occasion to discuss these matters. He urged both sides to move past their historical grievances and focus on the future, underscoring the immense potential both nations hold due to their considerable populations.

He also spoke about the significance of personal gestures in diplomacy, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Pakistan in 2015 and how such moments should not be overlooked. In contrast, he expressed disappointment over the tone of remarks made by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, which he believed damaged the relationship between the two nations.

On the subject of cricket, he questioned the current practice of teams from India and Pakistan not playing in each other’s countries, despite competing elsewhere globally. He supported the idea of India sending a team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, noting that this sentiment resonated with him.

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Mr. Sharif, shared her experience of receiving love and affection from Indian pilgrims during her visit to Kartarpur. She expressed a desire to visit India, particularly Punjab, with the leader encouraging her to also explore Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Reflecting on his personal ties to India, Mr. Sharif recounted a childhood visit to Amritsar in 1964 with his father, during which he visited their former family home, now part of a gurdwara.

He concluded by advocating a pragmatic approach to the future, stating, “The past is the past. We should think of the next 75 years,” urging for better ties between the two countries.

File picture of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
| Photo Credit: ANI

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) landed in Islamabad, Pakistan, to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first visit to Pakistan by a senior Indian minister in years.

Mr. Jaishankar was greeted at the Nur Khan airbase by senior Pakistani officials.

It is the first time in nearly nine years that India’s foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained frosty over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The last Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad in December 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan.

Earlier in the day, India said it remains actively engaged in various mechanisms of the SCO.

Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16.

“The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the Organisation,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting. India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework,” it said in a brief statement in New Delhi.

In the evening, Mr. Jaishankar is likely to attend a banquet reception to be hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the delegates from the SCO member nations, people familiar with the matter said.

Both sides have already ruled out any bilateral talks between Mr. Jaishankar and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of the government summit.

Mr. Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan assumes significance as it is seen as a significant decision on New Delhi’s part.

In his recent address at an event, Jaishankar said “like with any neighbour, India would certainly like to have good relations with Pakistan.”

“But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking.”

The decision to send the senior minister is seen as a display of India’s commitment to the SCO.

Progress on the TAPI pipeline has been repeatedly delayed because of security issues in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Afghanistan said Wednesday (September 11, 2024) work would begin on a $10 billion gas pipeline traversing South Asia as officials joined dignitaries in neighbouring Turkmenistan to celebrate its completion on that side of the border.

Progress on the TAPI pipeline — running through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India — has been repeatedly delayed because of security issues in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan.

“From today the operations will start on Afghanistan’s soil,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at the ceremony in comments broadcast by Afghan State television.

Also Read: TAPI gas pipeline project breaks ground at Turkmenistan’s border with Afghanistan

At the border ceremony in Islim Cheshma in Turkmenistan, officials on both sides, including Afghan Prime Minister Hassan Akhund, hailed the project.

“This project will benefit not only the economies of the countries participating but also the countries of the whole region,” Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow said in a video broadcast live at the ceremony.

In the Afghan border province of Herat, a public holiday was declared to mark the occasion, with posters celebrating the project plastered around the capital of the same name.

The pipeline will see around 33 billion cubic metres of natural gas each year extracted from the Galkynysh gas field in southeast Turkmenistan.

It will be pumped through a 1,800km (1,120-mile) pipeline traversing Afghanistan, including Herat and Kandahar in the south, before crossing into restive Balochistan province in Pakistan and ending in Fazilka in Punjab.

Pakistan and India will each purchase 42% of the gas deliveries, and Afghanistan 16%, while Kabul will also benefit from lucrative transit fees of around $500 million per year, according to Afghan media.

Work on the Turkmen side began in 2015 and was initially scheduled to start in Afghanistan in 2018, but has been repeatedly delayed.

India’s commitment to the pipeline has also previously been questioned over its relationship with Pakistan and its already easy access to liquefied natural gas markets.

Jobs and cheap gas

The ceremony was an opportunity to simultaneously launch various bilateral projects, including a fibre-optic line to Herat, an electricity line, and the inauguration of a railway bridge.

In a country plagued by unemployment, TAPI “will provide jobs for 12,000 people in Afghanistan,” the government spokesman Mujahid told AFP.

Neither Afghan nor Turkmen officials have provided details on the financing or the expected date for TAPI to come online.

However, Swapnil Babele, an analyst with the research group Rystad Energy, expects further delays “as a lot of work remains to be done and the question of future financing is unclear”.

“We expect it to be operational only in the next decade,” he added.

For the three recipient countries, the pipeline will have the advantage of “delivering gas cheaper than liquefied natural gas and ensuring consistent supply”.

It is the most significant development project for Taliban authorities since they seized power in 2021, ending their two decade-long insurgency against the foreign-backed government.

The pipeline gives the government, which is not officially recognised by any nation, a strategic role in regional cooperation between Central Asia and South Asia, which is facing huge energy deficits.

Afghanistan, although still under economic and financial sanctions from the West, is currently trying to relaunch ambitious projects, particularly in energy, mines and infrastructure.

At the end of July, Afghanistan and China officially relaunched a major copper-extraction project in the world’s second-largest known deposit, near Kabul, which had been bogged down since 2008.

Washington:

Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Vedant Patel reiterated the country’s stand on terrorism and said that they hope that any country on the planet condemns terrorism anywhere.

Vedant Patel was asked by a media person about where the US relations stand with India and Pakistan as India has always emphasised that terrorism and talks cannot go together with Pakistan.

Addressing the media briefing on Monday, the US official was responding to a question on where the US stands as a triangle between the US and India, Pakistan and India and India-US relations.

The reporter restated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intent and quoted that he has been trying even during his second term that India wants a good relationship with Pakistan, adding that terrorism and talks cannot go together.

“We would hope that any country on the face of the planet condemns terrorism anywhere,” Patel said.

He further said that the US welcomes any countries making more positive relations with their neighbours.

“But ultimately this is between India and Pakistan broadly, of course, we welcome any countries making more positive relations with their neighbours. But as it relates to this specifically, I just don’t have anything to offer,” he said.

Vedant Patel emphasised that India is a country in which the US is deepening relations in a number of key spaces.

“India is a country in which we are deepening our relations within a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation,” he said.

He further noted that US President Joe Biden had the opportunity to briefly see Prime Minister Modi in the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago.

“So, this is an area we will continue to cultivate this relationship,” he said.

Further underscoring PM Modi’s state visit to the US, Patel said that there will be several additional areas where the US continue to deepen cooperation.

“You are no stranger to the fact that we hosted India for a state visit last summer. And I imagine there will be a number of additional areas where we continue to deepen cooperation. National Security Adviser Sullivan just had a visit to Delhi a number of weeks ago as well,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

 The United States has said it supports direct discussions between India and Pakistan but the pace, scope and character of talks should be determined by the two neighbouring countries.

Responding to a question at his daily news conference on Thursday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US values its important relationships with both India and Pakistan.

“As we have said, we support direct discussions between India and Pakistan, but the pace, scope and character should be determined by those two countries, not by us,” he said.

Responding to another question, Miller said the US and Pakistan have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security.

“We partner with Pakistan on security through our high-level counterterrorism dialogue, including several counterterrorism capacity building programmes, and we support a series of US-Pakistan military-to-military engagements,” he said.

“We are in regular communication with Pakistani leaders as a part of our partnership on CT issues, and we will continue to discuss regional security in detail, including through our annual counterterrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed that he informed Pakistan about the 2019 Balakot air strikes before disclosing it to the world.

Speaking at a poll rally in Karnataka’s Bagalkot, he said that “Modi doesn’t believe in attacking from the back and fights openly face to face”.

The Prime Minister said, “I had asked the forces to call the media and inform them, but I said before that I will inform Pakistan through telephone about airstrikes at night and the destruction caused, but Pakistan people did not come on the phone. So I asked forces to wait, and after informing them, we later disclosed to the world about airstrikes that happened during the night.”

PM Modi added that “Modi doesn’t hide things nor attacks from hiding, and does things openly.”

PM Modi reveals how people confused ‘Balakot Airstrike’ with Bagalkot#shorts#shortsvideospic.twitter.com/e4AfAMtIWN

— BJP Tripura (@BJP4Tripura) April 30, 2024

He also warned those who try to kill innocent people in the country and said, “This is Naya Bharat (New India). Ghar me ghuskar ke maarega (will kill inside one’s (enemy) territory).

He also said that when India launched air strikes in Pakistan, many people initially thought it was conducted in Bagalkot, the similar-sounding Karnataka district.

READ | “India Dreams Of Becoming Superpower, We Are Begging”: Pak Minister

“We then held a press conference and disclosed information about it and the destruction caused to the enemies, after the strikes,” he told the gathering.

Campaigning in Bagalkote… The mood across Karnataka is distinctly in favour of the NDA.https://t.co/nvO29bXvEq

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2024

India warplanes attacked a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

What India Said After Balakot Strikes

After the Balakot strikes, India had said that a “very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis” were killed in the overnight operation.

They were being trained for “fidayeen” action and the facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, the brother-in-law of JeM chief Masood Azhar, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

“Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became absolutely necessary,” the statement read.

“This non-military preemptive action was specifically targeted at the JeM camp. The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualties. The facility is located in a thick forest on a hilltop far away from any civilian presence,” the statement added.

India’s head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India captain Rohit Sharma says he wouldn’t mind playing Tests against Pakistan at a neutral venue as it would be a “great contest” against the “superb bowling line-up” of the arch-rivals.

India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket ever since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which over 150 people were killed. The two countries, however, routinely face off in ICC events.

Their most recent clash happened during last year’s ODI World Cup in India.

“I totally believe that they are a good team, superb bowling line-up, good contest, if we play overseas. The last Test was played way back in 2007-08,” Rohit said on ‘Club Prairie Fire’, a Youtube show hosted by former Australian keeper-batter Adam Gilchrist and former England skipper Michael Vaughan.

“Yeah, I would love to (play against Pakistan), it would be a great contest between two sides. We play them in ICC trophies, pure cricket I am looking at, great contest, so why not?” he said when asked whether Indo-Pak Tests are possible at a neutral venue like England or Australia.

Led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan’s traditionally pace-reliant bowling line-up currently features exciting talents like Naseem Shah, who is only 21, and Aamer Jamal.

The BCCI has maintained that any decision on bilateral cricket with Pakistan will hinge on approval from the government, which has so far not permitted cricketing engagement with the arch-foes.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has been aggressively pushing for bilateral engagement with India, even taking it up at ICC forums at every available opportunity.

Last year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which was eventually conducted in a hybrid model. All of India’s scheduled games in Pakistan were relocated to Sri Lanka.

The next year’s Champions Trophy will be another bone of contention between the two countries as the tournament is set to be held in Pakistan, which has declared that it won’t agree to any change of venue to accommodate India.

The ICC, on its part, has stated that it won’t force any member nation to disregard government advisory.

“…ICC Board’s position remains that it doesn’t expect its members to go against any policy/instructions issued by its own government,” an ICC official had stated recently.

Photo used for representation purpose only. File
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

In response to Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks on terrorism where he said that “If they [terrorists] run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them (Pakistan mein ghus ke marenge),” Pakistan on April 6 said that the Indian government “habitually resorts to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains.”

In an interview to a television channel Mr. Singh responded to a question on an article published in The Guardian that said India had carried out the execution of almost 20 terrorists since 2020 inside Pakistan. “If any terrorist tries to disturb the peace in Bharat, or tries to carry out terror activities in Bharat, we will give them a befitting reply (muh tod jawab),” he said.

Denouncing his remarks, Pakistan brought up their claims of “India’s campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil” citing evidence they had provided in January this year.

“India’s assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as “terrorists”, inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability. It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

“India’s ruling dispensation habitually resorts to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains,” it added.

In January, in response to Pakistan Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi’s claims that India had carried out two extra-judicial killings, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had termed it Pakistan’s “latest attempt at peddling false and malicious anti-India propaganda.” Stating that Pakistan has long been the epicentre of terrorism, organised crime, and illegal transnational activities, the spokesperson added that to “blame others for its own misdeeds can neither be a justification nor a solution.”

The Ministry of External Affairs has declined to comment on whether Mr. Singh’s statement was at odds with the MEA position, as quoted in the article, that the allegations were false.

Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Pakistan on March 28 clarified that it has no plan to resume trade relations with India which has been “non-existent” since 2019 after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The clarification from Pakistan’s Foreign Office comes days after the new Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in London that Pakistan will seriously consider restoring trade ties with India that have remained suspended since August 2019.

In August 2019, India suspended Article 370 giving special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into centrally-administered Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

At the weekly briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked to comment on reports about the possibility of resumption of trade ties with India.

“Pakistan-India trade relations have been non-existent since 2019 when India took illegal steps in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir … There is no change in Pakistan’s position on it,” Ms. Baloch said.

Foreign Minister Mr. Dar, during a press conference in London on March 23, highlighted the eagerness of Pakistan’s business community to resume trade activities with India, indicating a potential shift in diplomatic stance towards its neighbouring nation.

Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Indian Parliament suspended Article 370 on August 5, 2019, a decision that Islamabad believed undermined the environment for holding talks between the neighbours.

Pakistan has been insisting that the onus of improving the ties was on India and urging it to undo its “unilateral” steps in Kashmir as a sort of pre-condition to start the talks.

India has dismissed the suggestion and made it clear to Pakistan that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were integral and inalienable parts of the country.

New Delhi has also asserted that the constitutional measures taken by the Indian government to ensure socio-economic development and good governance in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are matters internal to India.

It has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.