IMMEDIATELY after winning the 2019 elections and taking oath, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his ministers and bureaucrats have embarked upon a three-pronged programme. Further isolate Pakistan; ameliorate the lot of the common Indian and strangulate occupied Kashmir.

In his whirlwind tour of Indian Ocean states, India wanted to initiate several quasi-defence projects with these nations and set up a joint anti-terror conglomerate. Besides, it would ‘train’ thousands of Maldivian civil servants. SAARC would be sidelined while Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTECH) --being minus Pakistan-- would be strengthened.

Apathetic to India’s outreach we are on an IMF dole. The Indian media claims that Pakistan has failed to meet 18 out of 27 action-plan points. A blacklisting proposal could be moved at FATF’s plenary and working group meetings scheduled to be held in Orlando from June 16 to 21.

Pakistan’s demand for the removal of India, from the Asia Pacific Group has not been accepted. Being blacklisted is a remote possibility though. It could be averted by garnering just three FATF votes. However, to wriggle out of the grey list Pakistan needs at least 15 of FATF’s 36 members’ votes.

India’s outreach is aided by its economic wherewithal. We also need to improve our log-jammed productive capacity to offer something to the world. Since June 2016, after being designated as a ‘major US defence partner’, America has been sharing sensitive technology with India as ‘its closest ally’ (alongside hounding China for industrial espionage).

Lockheed Martin has offered to manufacture its newly-rolled-out F-21 fighter in India, underlining that it will not sell the aircraft to any other country if India places an order for 114 planes.

We need to abandon our sang froid attitude and give direction to our internal and external policies.

Abdullah Jahanzeb Malik
Islamabad

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THE Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have won a comfortable majority in India’s 2019 elections. They have bagged 353 of 543 seats and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is back in office.

India watchers observe that in the BJP’s previous watch, bilateral ties between Pakistan and India had deteriorated because the BJP supporters wanted it to take a tough stance against Pakistan. The party’s arrogance has exacerbated the already damaged relations between the two neighbours.

With Prime Minister Modi’s return Pakistan needs to be prepared to be on guard against more mischief on our eastern borders. Paksitan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated Modi on his victory and invited him to hold dialogue on all the issues but India’s response has been lukewarm.

Pakistan now needs a well-thoughtout response that keeps the peace in the region yet is firm enough to dissuade New Delhi from embarking on a misadventure. All this at a time when Pakistan can’t afford any tensions given the economic crisis staring it in the face.

Abdul Karim
Sukkur

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2019