New Pak govt can give push to normalisation of ties with India

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A new government in Pakistan after Imran Khan’s ouster can give impetus to normalisation of ties between the two neighbours, a media report said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is neither a demagogue nor a megalomaniac who lives in an alternate reality, like his predecessor Imran Khan, the report in Asian Lite said, adding, Sharif is an experienced politician who understands the imperatives of improving relations with India.

This time, Sharif will also have the support of the Pakistan Army in any initiative or outreach he makes toward India, the report said, adding that, the Pakistan Army seems to have realised that the unending state of hostility is dragging Pakistan down and creating existential problems.

For its part, India, while being cautious in engaging Pakistan, may not be averse to be willing to reciprocate any move made by Pakistan, the report said.

While the congratulatory message of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s response was nothing out of the ordinary, the report said, even this gesture is something of a change from the toxicity that defined the relations between the two countries during Imran Khan’s regime.

Going forward, it is to be expected that diplomatic decorum and decency, which had been thrown to the winds by the vituperative Imran Khan, will once again become the norm, the report said, adding that this alone would help in reducing the tensions and bitterness in the bilateral relations.

The time has come for both the countries and in some ways Pakistan more than India, to distinguish between outstanding issues and existential issues that are threatening the very existence of that state, the report said referring to territorial disputes between the two countries.

Pakistan’s economy is on the brink of failure. It is caught in a debt trap and is staring at default, the report said, adding that, opening up to India — trade and connectivity — would only help Pakistan get back on its feet. Other issues like radicalism and terrorism are common challenges.

Cooperation between the two countries will enable them both to get rid of the menace of terrorism and defeat radicalism. If they were to work together, their negotiating position would increase vastly and they can resist being buffeted by the pulls and pressures of Great Power politics, the report further said.

With both the civil and military authorities in Pakistan on the same page as far as an outreach to India is concerned, there is now an opportunity before both India and Pakistan to try and reset their bilateral relationship. If they grasp this opportunity, it can change not just the face of South Asia but also the dynamics of international politics, the report concluded. (ANI)