Ray of hope
On Pakistan’s National Day, India boycotted all the events that were organized to mark the event. In New Delhi where a senior Minister would grace the occasion and join the celebrations at the Pakistan High Commission, no one turned up from the Indian side.
Similarly, in Islamabad the Indian envoy who is scheduled to join the official functions organized to mark the day also stayed away. However, the day ended on a positive note as a significant development took place when Pm Modi and Pak PM Imran Khan exchanged messages on the occasion.
Imran Khan said he had received a message from Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi in which the latter extended greetings & best wishes to the people of Pakistan on the National Day of Pakistan.
The message by the Indian premier was the first overture by India since the February 14 Pulwama attack, following which the nuclear-armed neighbours came to the brink of war.
In a subsequent tweet, Khan welcomed his Indian counterpart’s message, saying it was now time to begin a “comprehensive dialogue” with India to resolve all bilateral issues.
The exchange of messages also reflected a positive mood at the Pakistan High Commission office in New Delhi. Pakistan High Commissioner to India SohailMahmood during his remarks on the reception on the eve of Pak National day celebrations said that a lack of engagement creates dangerous vacuum and serious risks for Indo-Pak ties, and hoped that the long winter in bilateral relations would come to an early end.
After February 14 attack and its fallout, the developments can be termed path breaking as far as the relations between the two countries are concerned. Though it took various countries lot of persuasion to get the two neighbors out of the war hysteria created in the aftermath of Pulwama attack, the peace overtures signify a significant shift in policy in both the countries.
Prior to this development the release of Wing Commander AbhinandanVarthaman, return of the two High Commissioners to their respective Missions and bilateral meetings on Kartarpur Corridor had also proved as steps in a positive direction. But the direct linking of the two premiers on the eve of Pak National day marks a new beginning in the strained relations between the two countries.
The seven decade long history has time and again proved that coercive measures have not worked in the past and will not work in the future. It is diplomacy and dialogue that remain indispensable for enhancing mutual understanding, addressing mutual concerns, and resolving long-standing disputes.
A relationship based on sovereign equality, mutual respect and mutual interest is the best guarantee for a peaceful and prosperous future for both the nations as the founding fathers of Pakistan and India had envisaged amicable relations between the two countries.
Though the relationship has remained challenged, for most part of the seven decade post independence era, time has to change now as the world dynamics that has emerged suggests that the two south Asian giants cannot afford hostilities for long.
KV Network
