ONCE again, relations between Pakistan and India are deteriorating fast. This time, it is the diplomatic arena where ties have gradually been souring over the past few weeks. On Thursday, the Foreign Office announced that Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Delhi, Sohail Mahmood, was being recalled to Islamabad for “consultations”. The move follows reports that Pakistani diplomats in the Indian capital, their family members and Indian employees of the mission have been facing a steady routine of harassment by mysterious forces. At its Thursday briefing, the FO said that over the past eight days there had been 26 incidents of harassment. The incidents mentioned by the authorities include harassment of the children of Pakistani diplomats on their way to school as well as the tailing of diplomats by unknown persons in the Indian capital. The Indian authorities claim their diplomats have also been facing harassment in Islamabad. In another sign that ties were quickly nosediving, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said he did not expect improvement in bilateral relations, particularly due to the hostilities along the LoC.

While acts like chasing diplomats and filming them may seem trivial, these antics may well snowball into something far bigger and more serious. The recall of the Pakistani high commissioner should not be taken lightly, and New Delhi must understand that Pakistan takes the incidents of harassment seriously. However, instead of engaging in tit-for-tat measures, both sides must discuss their concerns frankly and with mutual respect. And while it may not be uncommon for intelligence operatives to tail diplomats, the harassment of staffers and their families has to stop. If diplomatic relations are downgraded or snapped, it will only be a victory for hardliners on both sides and will not result in anything positive for the people of South Asia. There are a host of issues poisoning the bilateral relationship currently, including trouble along the LoC, the Kulbhushan Jadhav episode, militancy etc. However, rather than follow the desires of security hawks and populist right-wingers on both sides — who dream of permanently scuttling bilateral relations — saner counsel must prevail. Currently, the constituency for peace in both countries has been drowned out by the shrill noise generated by hardliners who thrive on conflict. The Hindutva brigade has captured state power in India while their ideological twins in Pakistan are ever-present. These warmongers must be ignored, and for that, diplomats must be allowed to operate unhindered.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018