Washington:

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar addressed the status of India’s trade relations with Pakistan, clarifying that New Delhi didn’t cease trade, but rather, it was the Islamabad administration that decided to halt trading in 2019.

“We did not stop trading. Their administration made the decision in 2019 to not continue trading with us,” Mr Jaishankar said in a press conference in Washington DC on Wednesday (local time).

He also reiterated India’s longstanding concern regarding the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status, which India had extended to Pakistan but which Pakistan didn’t reciprocate.

“Our concern about this issue was from the beginning that we should get MFN status. We used to give this status to Pakistan but they did not give it to us,” the EAM said.

Noting that there have been no recent discussions or initiatives on trade from either side, he added, “So, neither such talks have taken place with Pakistan regarding trade from our side, nor did they take any initiative from their side.”

Higlighting India-US ties, Mr Jaishankar said both nations have a “very strong degree” of trust and convergence.

“We have a very strong degree of trust today between India and the United States, a very high level of convergence of our interests,” he said.

He also noted that the two nations share a sense of global good and are committed to serving their national interests while building their bilateral partnership.

“A sense that while we serve our national interest, while we build our bilateral partnership, definitely on regional issues and global issues, there is a lot of good that we can do. So that sense of global good was also very evident conceptually in what we discussed,”
“In terms of the bilateral ties, this was the first day of the administration, so we had sort of essentially a broad brush conversation, didn’t get too deep into details, but there was an agreement, a consensus between us that we need to be bolder, bigger and more ambitious,” he added.

Notably, Mr Jaishankar represented India at US President Donald Trump’s inaugural function. He also carried a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for President Trump.

Donald Trump took oath as the 47th US President on January 20.

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

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

Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.
| Photo Credit: AP

There’s consensus across all establishments for healthy ties with India, said Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. Mr. Kakar, a representative from Balochistan was the longest-serving caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan between August 2023 and March 2024. He oversaw the elections earlier this year, and is seen as close to the military establishment. Speaking to The Hindu in Islamabad, Mr. Kakar said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan is a reciprocal one, but will offer an opportunity to explore whether Delhi and Islamabad are ready for better ties.

New Delhi:

S Jaishankar, who is in Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO Summit being hosted by Islamabad, had a brief interaction with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today at an official dinner held for all the summit attendees.

The two leaders shook hands and exchanged a courtesy greeting as Mr Sharif welcomed Mr Jaishankar for the official dinner for SCO leaders. Few worlds were spoken during the interaction that lasted less than twenty seconds.

Ties between India and Pakistan have nearly been non-existent in the last decade since Pak-based terrorists targeted Indian military establishments in a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016. India, which has for long aimed for peace and stability in the region, has made it amply clear to Pakistan that “terror and talks cannot go hand-in-hand”, and that “dialogue and diplomacy can only move forward in an environment free of terrorism.”

NEARLY A DECADE OF NO DIALOGUE

Mr Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan is the first by an Indian minister in nearly ten years. The last visit by an Indian foreign minister was when Mr Jaishankar’s predecessor, Sushma Swaraj, had visited Islamabad for a conference on Afghanistan. Mr Jaishankar, who was then the foreign secretary had accompanied the then minister on her official visit.

Sushma Swaraj’s visit was followed in quick succession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who pushed for peace in the region by taking the initiative and giving a surprise visit to then Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his ancestral home. But despite sincere efforts by India, talks were yet again derailed by a series of terror attacks on Indian soil by terrorists harboured and sheltered in Pakistan.

Before he reached Islamabad, Mr Jaishankar said at a press conference in New Delhi that his visit to the neighbouring country was only for the SCO summit and that no bilateral talks with Islamabad will be taking place.

| Watch: NDTV World Summit on October 21-22. Get All The Details Here.

Mr Jaishankar had 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 to Pakistan, which is the host nation for the SCO Summit this time, is seen purely as a display of India’s commitment to the forum.

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) had said.
 

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that he is not going to Islamabad to discuss “India-Pakistan relations”. He said his visit is about the SCO Summit 2024, which is taking place in the neighbouring country. The minister said that he will be traveling to Pakistan only to be a “good member of the SCO”.

“Yes, I am scheduled to go to Pakistan in the middle of this month and that is for the meeting of the SCO –the heads of government meeting,” Mr Jaishankar said while delivering the Sardar Patel Lecture on Governance, organized by IC Centre for Governance in New Delhi.

“I expect that there would be a lot of media interest because the very nature of the relationship is such and I think we will deal with it. But I do want to say it, I will be there for a multilateral event, I mean I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO. Since I am a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly,” he underlined.

The External Affairs Minister highlighted that the SCO Summit is taking place in Islamabad this time, because, similar to India, Pakistan too, is a recent member of the bloc.

“Normally the Prime Minister goes to the high-level meeting, the heads of state, that’s in line with the tradition. It so happens that the meeting is taking place in Pakistan, because, like us, they are a relatively recent member,” Mr Jaishankar added.

On being asked about his planning before he heads to the summit, the EAM stated, “Of course, I am planning for it. In my business, you plan for everything that you are going to do, and for a lot of things that you are not going to do, and which could happen also, you plan for that as well.”

On Friday, the MEA said Mr Jaishankar will be traveling to Pakistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit scheduled to take place in October.

On being asked about India’s participation in the upcoming SCO Summit, the MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15-16.”

Earlier in August, India received an invitation from Pakistan for the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in-person meeting.

In May 2023, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for the SCO meeting in Goa. This was the first visit by a Foreign Minister of Pakistan to India in six years.

The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five. Currently, the SCO countries include nine member states: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The SCO has three observer states: Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Belarus.

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

Representative image. More than 60% of Indians and more than half of all Pakistanis surveyed believe the two countries cannot have friendly relations in this decade, says a new survey by the Centre for Policy Research.
| Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY

More than 60% of Indians and more than half of all Pakistanis surveyed believe the two countries cannot have friendly relations in this decade, says a new survey by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR)-C Voter that looks at the attitudes of Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis on a number of political, economic and foreign policy issues. The downturn in ties between India and Pakistan since 2016, after which no high-level bilateral talks have been held, is clearly mirrored in the mood in the two countries, shows the survey, which reached out to about 100,000 respondents, 12,000 of whom completed the survey in total across the three countries. 

In contrast, previous surveys in 2011 and 2013 had indicated a much higher optimism for reconciliation in the subcontinent, with the ‘Aman ki Asha (hope for peace)‘ poll in 2011 showing two-thirds of people surveyed in both countries had felt that peace was “attainable in their lifetimes”, up 35% since the 2011 survey. 

The survey was carried out in 2022, the organisers of the exercise said, and its results were released last week in Delhi in a report entitled ‘South Asia in a Changing World: What Citizens in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh think 75 years post-Partition’.

“What we have learnt is that South Asians are comfortable with several contradictions. While there is still much nostalgia about the Partition, they also now believe India and Pakistan cannot be friendly nations, “ explained CPR’s Rahul Verma, who co-authored the report. 

According to the survey, 48% Indians, but only 31% Pakistanis and 32% Bangladeshis would favour a “reversal” in the conditions created by the 1947 Partition. However, 62% of Indians felt it was unlikely and 28% said that it was likely that India and Pakistan could become friendly in the near future, while 52% of respondents in Pakistan said it was unlikely, and 38% said it was likely. Significantly, respondents in Bangladesh were more positive about the possibility of India-Pakistan ties, with more respondents there (45%) saying good relations were likely, and 40% saying they were unlikely. 

The survey results came even as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar conceded at a public event last week that the chances of dialogue with Pakistan were now bleak. “I think the era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. Actions have consequences,” he said, speaking at the release of a book, Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy by former diplomat Rajiv Sikri in Delhi on Friday, where Dr. Jaishankar defended the Modi government’s policy in the neighbourhood.  

“Insofar as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, Article 370 is done. So the issue today is — what kind of relationship can we possibly contemplate with Pakistan?” Dr. Jaishankar added, warning that India’s responses to “positive or negative events” would be reactive rather than passive. All eyes are now on how New Delhi will respond to an invitation from Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Heads of Government meet on October 15-16, as no Indian Minister has travelled to Pakistan in more than eight years. 

When asked about the role of global powers in the regions, the CPR-C Voter survey found that Indians believe their country had the highest influence in South Asia, while Pakistanis and Bangladeshis felt China had the most influence in the region, followed by the United States. Indians were the least concerned about Chinese interference (less than half) while more than two thirds of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis showed ‘high concern’ over Chinese interference, which is significant given the two countries have much closer bilateral ties with Beijing than India does.

Meanwhile, more Indians said they trust Russia than the United States, while only 18% said they trust China. Pakistani respondents also said they trusted Russia more than the U.S., although more than 84% trusted China, by far the most. For Bangladesh too, Russia was the most trusted (76%), while trust levels in the U.S. and China were equal (68% each).

The survey received completed responses on 75-80 questions dealing with the state of democracy, the strength of institutions, as well as trends in economic progress, and authoritarian tendencies of the leadership. 

“It seems that South Asians like strong leaders and technocrats,” Dr. Verma said, commenting on the results of the survey, which found most respondents quite optimistic about the future economic condition of their countries despite present distress. A large proportion felt that South Asia was becoming “more religious”, and a small proportion felt that the status of minorities and underprivileged groups was “worse than expected” in the three countries. Surprisingly, Bangladeshis worried the least about corruption and poverty in their country while Indians and Pakistanis largely felt both were “very big issues”.

Ishaq Dar leaves after a press briefing, in Islamabad, Pakistan June 10, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that trade ties between Islamabad and New Delhi have remained suspended since 2019 due to the imposition of “heavy duties” by India on imports from Pakistan after the Pulwama attack.

In a written reply submitted to the National Assembly on Saturday, Mr. Dar, who also holds the deputy Prime Minister’s slot, said: “India decided to impose 200% duty on imports from Pakistan, suspended the Kashmir bus service and trade across the Line of Control after the Pulwama attack.”

According to the Dawn newspaper, Mr. Dar was responding to a question by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui seeking details about trade challenges faced by Pakistan in its relations with neighbouring countries, especially India.

In March, during a press conference in London, Mr. Dar highlighted the eagerness of Pakistan’s business community to resume trade activities with India. However, his office later clarified that Pakistan has no plan to resume trade relations with India which has been “non-existent” since 2019.

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.

“We have consistently advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir with India…,” Mr. Dar said on Saturday.

The Foreign Minister said that the “onus is now on Delhi to take steps for the creation of an environment that is conducive to peace and dialogue”.

India 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.

Islamabad and New Delhi have a long history of strained relations, primarily due to the Kashmir issue as well as the cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

A file photo of Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif 
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has expressed hope for the betterment of ties with India after the general elections in India. Mr. Asif’s comments came days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Singapore said that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism almost at an “industry level” and the mood in India now is not to overlook terrorists and it “will not skirt this problem anymore”.

“Our relations with India could be improved after elections there,” Mr. Asif said while speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on April 1 , adding that the bilateral ties between the two countries have their “own background”.

Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats in India will take place between April 19 and June 4, spread across seven phases.

Also read: Pakistan to ‘seriously’ consider restoring trade ties with India: Foreign Minister Dar

Islamabad and New Delhi have a long history of strained relations, primarily due to the Kashmir issue as well as the cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In 2019, Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories. The decision, Islamabad said, 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.

Pakistan, which borders China, India, Afghanistan, and Iran has witnessed tensions with other neighbours, except for China, following cross-border attacks from Iran and Afghanistan.

New Delhi:

In the backdrop of the nearly-four-year border row with China in eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the “tension” seen during this period has “not served either of us well”.

He also asserted that India remains committed to finding a “fair and reasonable outcome” but one that is respectful of agreements and recognises the Line of Actual Control.

During a panel discussion at an event held late on Monday evening, the minister said India “never closed doors to talking to Pakistan” but the terrorism issue should be “fair, square at the centre of the conversation”.

Mr Jaishankar, who recently returned from an official visit to South Korea and Japan, shared his thoughts on a range of issues, from the changing nature of diplomacy to the evolving world order, during the ‘Express Adda’ in New Delhi.

Later, he also took questions from a section of the audience that included diplomats, businessmen, academics, entrepreneurs, journalists and foreign policy enthusiasts.

Asked about his views on “offers made from the Chinese side in the past” to resolve the border issue, and whether there was any scenario where he could think that this could actually be resolved, the minister said, “Any country involved in a boundary dispute negotiating, it has to believe … there has to be a solution.”

Questioned on if the current dispensation will get “more empowered with more seats in (Parliament) to talk on the issue”, the Union minister interjected and said, “To me, the territory of India and the fairness of a boundary solution has nothing to do with how many seats … Either it’s a good deal or not a good deal. The issue today is not whether you have a political majority or not. It is whether you have a fair deal on the table that is the issue.”

Mr Jaishankar, a former foreign secretary, also responded to a query from an audience member on the India-China relationship.

“I think it is in our common interest that we should not have that many forces on the Line of Actual Control. I think it is in our common interest that we should observe the agreements that we have signed. And, I believe that it is not just in common interest, I believe it is in China’s interest as well. This tension that we have seen for the last four years has not served either of us well,” he said.

“So, the sooner we resolve it, I genuinely believe it is good for both of us. I am still very much committed to finding a fair, reasonable outcome. But one which is respectful of agreements recognises the Line of Actual Control and doesn’t seek to change the status quo. That, I think, will be good for both of us,” the minister added.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area.

Ties between the two countries nose-dived significantly following the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

India and China recently held a fresh round of high-level military talks to resolve the border row that witnessed both sides agreeing to maintain “peace and tranquillity” on the ground but there was no indication of any breakthrough.

Mr Jaishankar also took a question on India-Pakistan ties and if New Delhi would be open to a conversation if Islamabad reached out.

“We have never closed our doors on talking with Pakistan. The question is what to talk about … If some guy has that many terrorist camps … that should be the central part of the conversation,” he said.

When asked if there could be a conversation with the Pakistani military, he said, “It doesn’t work that way. It is not that we choose between this and that.”

“As I said, we have never closed our doors to talking to Pakistan … but the terrorism issue should be fair, square at the centre of the conversation. It is the major issue … I am not saying there are no other issues. But I am not going to duck that issue for the sake of talking,” the minister said.

One member of the audience also asked if India’s policy towards the US has had any impact on Russia’s policy towards China, to which Mr Jaishankar said that was a “correlation I wouldn’t agree with”.

“If Russia and China have become closer that is not an issue … that is not a doing of India. That may or may not be a consequence of the situation in which Russia finds itself in vis-a-vis the West … Our policy towards Russia has been very fair, very objective,” he added.

On the Myanmar issue, he said, “Frankly the developments … are worrying”.

“If there is no central authority and you have a very fractured system, then all set of other problems happen. It creates a fertile ground for a whole set of illegal activities, which then also impinge on our end…,” he added.

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