SAARC may be an organisation that has historically under-delivered, but it continues to be a forum in which the bilateral Pak-India relationship can be attended to — if the governments of the two countries so desire.

With Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh set to visit Islamabad next week, the regular schedule of Saarc ministerial meetings will yet again provide an opportunity for India and Pakistan to discuss cooperation rather than simply talk past each other.

Whether the Indian home minister and his Pakistani counterpart, Nisar Ali Khan, will meet separately has yet to be announced, but if they do the ministers will find there is ample space for dialogue on issues covered by the Saarc meeting, especially on counterterrorism cooperation and mutual assistance in criminal matters.

For that to happen, however, both sides will need to resist the temptation to lecture each other and play to their respective domestic galleries.

Clearly, the Pak-India relationship is at a low ebb. Just this week, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in unusually direct and undiplomatic terms and the Pakistani foreign policy establishment has been in overdrive to try and bring international attention to the protests and violence in India-held Kashmir.

While Pakistan’s stance on the recent Kashmir unrest has been principled and in line with diplomatic norms, India prefers to focus on the lack of movement on the Pathankot investigation and the long-stalled Mumbai attacks-related trials.

It is an old conundrum: what Pakistan wishes to discuss, India does not; what India wants of Pakistan, Pakistan is reluctant to cooperate on.

Yet, it is possible for both sides to reiterate their fundamental positions while looking for opportunities at the margins to create a better political and diplomatic environment between the two countries.

As ever, much will depend on the political will of the two governments and their ability to navigate internal challenges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi must surely recognise that an iron-fisted approach in IHK will only instil further resistance to Indian repression; instead, the Indian centre needs to reopen the lines of communication with Kashmiri leaders as recommended by the BJP’s regional partners in IHK.

As for Pakistan, there must be recognition that the repression in IHK it should rightly protest is a separate matter from the ongoing terrorism investigations.

Proceeding with the seemingly stalled Pathankot investigation would not alter the dynamics of Pakistan’s support for the Kashmir cause.

If those internal challenges can be addressed, the prime ministers of both countries have already demonstrated their ability to surprise and seek political solutions to long-standing problems.

Consistent as Prime Minister Sharif is in his India policy, however, he also needs to demonstrate his influence over this country’s overall India policy.

As for Mr Modi, he needs to recognise mercurialness cannot amount to statesmanship, and he must demonstrate more consistency in his Pakistan policy.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016

Opinion

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