External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif. (Photo: S Jaishankar/ X)
India-Pakistan SCO meet
Pakistan hosted the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16. Heads of states of India, Pakistan, China, Russia and six other member countries attended the meeting. India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar informally met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO, sparking discussions on potential improvement in India-Pakistan relations going forward. Here’s what the Pakistani press had to say on the matter.
Express Tribune (October 16) acknowledges the PML-N’s role in “advocating a dialogue and trade with India”. Writing before the SCO’s closing, Tribune was more hopeful than its peers, saying, “Though the top Indian diplomat [S Jaishankar] had hinted at a pure multilateral agenda on his visit, there is optimism at the end of the road for nurturing a thaw.”
According to Dawn (October 18), Jaishankar “exchanged handshakes and pleasantries”, which “is certainly an improvement over last year”. The editorial underlines that “Dialogue should be uninterruptible and should cover all sticking points standing in the way of better ties… hardliners in Pakistan should realise that better ties with India can have economic advantages for this country.”
The Nijjar allegations
In June 2023, Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey (British Columbia), Canada. A few months later, in September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first publicly stated that his government had “credible” information linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s killing. The most recent allegations coming in earlier this week from Trudeau saw the Canadian PM double down on his claim of the senior diplomats’ involvement in the matter. India’s Ministry of External Affairs, meanwhile, has staunchly denied all allegations saying that this claim “serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains.”
Hardeep Singh Nijjar
The Nation (October 18) condemns India for its reaction to the India-Canada row saying, “India’s response has not been one of denial, but rather a troubling echo of Israel’s stance on similar matters… By painting all activists as terrorists, India is attempting to discredit legitimate movements for rights and self-determination, particularly in Indian-occupied Kashmir and Punjab.”
News International (October 18) suggests a peaceful path of conciliation saying, “This latest spat with Canada is an opportunity for India to rectify its mistakes and give dialogue and diplomacy a chance. Instead of using force or bloodshed, it should engage with leaders and try to carve out a middle ground.”
PTI’s reserved seats verdict
The Imran Khan-led PTI’s reserved-seat case, in which Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of the party, is yet again a point of discussion with the Election Commission of Pakistan dragging its feet on implementing the directives of the Court. The SC issued another clarification on October 18 for the allocation of seats in the National Assembly that has also so far been overlooked by the ECP.
The Nation (October 19) hopes for an end to the crisis that “has gone on for far too long”, saying: “The government may either choose to continue its battle by pushing the constitutional package or seek conciliation with all political parties, allowing the package to pass and facilitating PTI’s return to Parliament.”
Meanwhile, News International (October 19) takes a firmer stand and believes that “The Supreme Court has made its decision clear; the ECP and the government must respect that. If there are genuine legal concerns, they must be addressed through proper channels, not through delaying tactics or political posturing.”
adya.goyal@expressindia.com
