It is famously said, tongue in cheek, that “Nations have armies, while in Pakistan, the army has a nation.” This is meant to stress the upper hand the military establishment in the Islamic nation holds in every aspect of governance there while the political establishment is often found wanting in asserting its eminent roles. It also goes to mean that a change of government in Pakistan does not necessarily mean there’s scope for a change in policies, especially on matters relating to ties with India. The stated policy of the Pakistan military, especially the ISI, is to “bleed India with a thousand cuts.”
The present move on the part of the Imran Khan government to “invite” Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a SAARC summit in Pakistan has been pooh-poohed by India; and rightly so. This is seen as nothing more than a publicity stunt. For one, SAARC summit schedules are decided by mutual consultation, and no such talk has taken place so far, to have a meet in Pakistan. If a meeting is decided, no invitation is necessary and the presence of Indian PM happens in the normal course. The last summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014, when PM Modi’s presence alongside his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif demonstrated a widening gulf between the two nations.
The next summit in 2016 was cancelled in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on a military camp in Uri by Pakistani infiltrators. After this, the relationship between the two sides had only worsened in view of the frequent violations by Pakistani soldiers of an existing ceasefire pact and killing of civilians and soldiers on the Indian side without any provocation. The Pakistani interference in Kashmir valley too continues unabated. The only positive action involving the two nations in recent years was the launch of works on the Kartarpur Sahib corridor for passage of Sikh pilgrims to religious places on both sides of the border. Too much optimism is misplaced as there’s every chance of ISI attempting to use this as another front for its evil designs against India.
Regional situations do not permit the holding of a SAARC summit anytime soon. Elections are due in both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, two constituents of SAARC. Also, not much is happening on the SAARC front for years. SAARC is increasingly proving its irrelevance, caught as it is in the machinations of China to create its own sphere of influence in the region.