India has reversed its stand calling off the promised meeting between Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mahmood Quereshi on the side lines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month. The Indian Army has started sabre-rattling and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has made an aggressive response. It has ruled out prospects of constructive engagements agreed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries. It will take much political will and leadership to find a meeting point again. India’s diplomatic face has sunk considerably. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Imran Khan had suggested the bilateral meeting as a first step to build on the mutual desire for peace between the two countries. The Ministry of External Affairs of India has called off the New York meeting for reasons which are not new. Why then had the Government agreed to accept Imran Khan’s invitation initially? The mutilated body of the BSF Jawan had already been found. So were the abduction and killing of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack on Imran Khan was political rhetoric. Prime Minister Khan had not been pulling a fast one. He is not hostile to the Pakistan Army. That cannot be reason for not engaging with him. In fact, it goes in his favour.
When Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister, New Delhi argued that it was pointless to engage with the civilians in Pakistan. The army cracked the whip in that country. Now that Imran Khan is on good terms with the Pakistan army, there is more justification for talks with Islamabad. There is no way of resolving the conflict between the two countries other than by holding bilateral talks. India should have climbed down from its uncompromising stand on the New York talks.
In India there is a now a growing flexing of muscles by the Army Chief whenever the question of engaging with Pakistan arises. Now that the talks are unceremoniously called off, Gen Vipin Rawat at a function in Delhi publicly backed the Government’s decision to withdraw from the talks. In the past army chiefs did not comment on government decisions which are in the realm of diplomacy. The Indian army cannot position itself like its counterpart in Pakistan. However, Pakistan too must illustrate its sincerity and issuing postage stamps glorifying Burhan Wani, a terrorist aided and abetted by Pakistan, who was killed in an encounter in Kashmir is certainly undesirable.
