The credit must go as much to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in so far as his no-nonsense approach generated awe and credibility as to Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan who apparently convinced the all-powerful army that a goodwill gesture was necessary since Pakistan’s credibility was at a low ebb internationally.
This is a time for celebration but not one to try to score brownie points by showing each other down. The shooting down of an F-16 fighter that intruded into Indian airspace convinced the Pakistanis that this was no pacifist India that would take things lying down after having succeeded in destroying key bases of the rogue outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad which triggered off the Indian response after Jaish had attacked a CRPF vehicle with over 40 Indian casualties. While de-escalation is welcome, Pakistan has to understand that until it dismantles terror-training bases wherever they may be in the country, India reserves the right to strike again.
For too long India has waited for the state to act against terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir. It is now time for action and it is a measure of India doing its homework well that the world at large sees the Indian position positively. This is India’s chance to push ahead with alacrity on the path of forcing closure of terror training camps. Cosmetic measures of de-escalation have been tried before but have failed to drive Pakistan to close those camps for good. This time India can’t be satisfied with half-measures which offer transient relief.
The fulcrum of Pakistan’s terror machine has to be uprooted and if Pakistan resists or uses new strategem, it must be given a bloody nose. That Pakistan’s trusted friend China participated in a UN resolution identifying Jaish’s nefarious activities that resulted in the Pulwama carnage and the Islamic bloc countries under Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have invited India as a special guest to their meeting after five decades, ignoring Islamabad’s threat to boycott the meet is an index that Indian diplomacy is making a major impact.
That the United Arab Emirates has of late been going out of its way to extradite alleged criminals wanted by India, the Saudi Crown Prince has visited New Delhi and Iran has tied up with India in the Chabahar port project in a rebuff to Pakistan only goes to show that Indian perseverance on improving ties with the Islamic bloc is paying off. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s speech was stirring in Abu Dhabi wherein she said: “The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be. Just as Islam literally means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence.” She added:
“If we want to save humanity, we must tell the states who provide shelter and funding to terrorists, to dismantle the infrastructure of the terrorist camps and stop providing shelter and funding to the terror organisations based in that country,” without naming Pakistan in her 17-minute speech. Terrorism is destroying lives, destabilising regions and putting the world at great peril, Ms Swaraj said.
By all means India must approach de-escalation and improvement of ties with Pakistan with an open mind. But terror-training camps and peace talks cannot proceed in parallel. Once Pakistan recognises that imperative there are huge possibilities for the two countries to upgrade their ties which have been in doldrums for decades.
A negotiated settlement of the Kashmir issue with confirmation of Pakistan’s de jure control of the Pak-occupied part and India’s complete control of Jammu and Kashmir without pinpricks from the Pakistani side is possible in a spirit of give and take. Trade and investment co-operation will be natural consequences of any resumption of friendly ties.
Any de-escalation that may take place cannot wipe away the animosity between the two neighbours in one stroke. It would have to be a process but the country must give it an honest try. Both sides must restrain themselves from making rash statements as Pakistan’s former foreign minister Khwaja Asif did when he justified the Kulwama carnage in the national assembly on Friday.