Relations settling down
After a brush with military intrusions, India and Pakistan seem to have accepted the fact that peace is the only option between the two neighbours. This being the reason that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday accepted that Pakistan is sending its envoy back to India and is ready to engage with New Delhi to reduce tensions.
The move came to the fore due to diplomatic efforts by countries like the US, China and Russia. Though much needs to be done and achieved on ground but the reality is that tensions between India and Pakistan appear to be de-escalating and this is a positive development in the region.
Notably, Pakistan had called its envoy back to Islamabad for urgent consultations in the wake of the February 14 Pulwama attack which left 40 CRPF personnel dead. Islamabad took the step after India called back its envoy Ajay Bisaria to New Delhi.
After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.
The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on Friday last.
The faceoff between the two arch rivals was curtailed after various allies of the two countries including the US pitched in and helped to ease out the situation. The US through private diplomacy played a role in de-escalating tensions and restore peace, though temporarily between Pakistan and India.
Not only the US but China also announced that its Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou is in Islamabad to discuss the Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack, as it called for the creation of an enabling atmosphere for its close ally Pakistan to cooperate with other parties. Russia too is helping out and has even offered to play as a key negotiator to resolve the age old differences among the two countries.
Now that the major powers in the world have played their role to get the two countries to negotiations on de-escalation and simmering tensions, it is time that both the nations accept the reality and see and zero in on those issues that are leading them towards confrontation all the time.
The animosity that has become a hallmark for both the nations has to end and the two sides can show some goodwill by embracing each other halfway, properly resolve their differences through dialogue and do something constructive for their people and the entire south Asian region.
But all this needs to be well monitored by those nations especially US, China and Russia who have played a key role in resolving the present crisis.
This time around any move to seek a long lasting peace and stability in the region should be based on policy coordination to eradicate breeding grounds of extremism and violence. Rather than seeking temporary solutions the thrust should be address the symptom and the root causes of conflict that leads to such an ugly situation.
KV Network
