India’s gesture, Pakistan’s turn

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will become the first Indian foreign minister to travel to Pakistan in almost a decade when he participates in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad beginning today. Both countries have sought to play down the chances of a bilateral meeting, with Jaishankar, saying he is going to Pakistan primarily to attend the SCO meet, while his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar has said the two sides have not been exploring the possibility of a bilateral meeting.

The two-day SCO meeting is being held at a time when the war in West Asia is spreading and the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows no signs of abating, raising concerns about the impact on the global economy. Jaishankar’s visit also comes against the backdrop of the recent election in J&K and the ground being cleared for a new elected government in Srinagar, more signs that Article 370 is a closed chapter in India-Pakistan relations. Therefore, this is a visit where every meeting, statement, remark or even gesture will be scrutinised and parsed threadbare for signs of a possible thaw.

That said, it is an opportunity for Pakistan to send the signal that they are willing to dial down the rhetoric on the Kashmir issue and to engage meaningfully with India, including on the issue of terrorism that has bedevilled relations for decades. The focus cannot be on Article 370, which in itself was an admission of Jammu and Kashmir’s ascension to India, especially in the wake of a well-attended election.

Pakistan has been boxed into a corner after decades of depending on foreign aid, not carrying out much-needed economic reforms, and using a policy of backing cross-border terrorism against Afghanistan and India. China too has used Pakistan as a countervailing force against India’s rise in the region and beyond. More than India, it is in Islamabad’s interest to make a fresh beginning in bilateral relations. This cannot be in the form of half-hearted measures such as Dar’s call in March this year to resume trade ties with India, which subsequently went nowhere.

New Delhi’s decision to accept the invitation for the SCO meeting and to send its foreign minister is in itself a confidence-building measure. The ball is now squarely in Pakistan’s court since Jaishankar has said New Delhi is ready to respond to every positive or negative move by Islamabad.

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