New Delhi: There were three major events in 2019, which marked an important milestone in the relations between India and Pakistan. The relations between the two countries deteriorated so much that they became very distant from each other.
On 14 February 2019, 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in a suicide terror attack in Pulwama, Kashmir. Twelve days later i.e. on 26 February 2019, the Indian Air Force conducted a surgical strike in Balakot, Pakistan. In this, many terrorists are claimed to have been killed.
On August 5 2019, the Government of India abolished the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and declared it a Union Territory by abrogating Article 370.
These were the three incidents that happened in 2019, due to which the relations between India and Pakistan worsened rapidly.
At that time Pakistan's then Prime Minister Imran Khan said that until Article 370 is restored in Jammu and Kashmir, there will be no talks with India.
Before Imran, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said that even if there is a war for 1000 years, we may have to eat grass bread, we will claim Kashmir from India.
India also said that blood and water cannot flow together and until action is taken against the terrorists, there is no question of talks.
After 2 years, on 25 February 2021, ceasefire is announced on the border between India and Pakistan.
India invites Pakistani Foreign Minister
Relations between the two countries have remained cold so far. Bilateral dialogue is deadlocked, trade is minimal and the warmth is completely absent. Nevertheless, on January 25, an invitation is sent from India to Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to attend the SCO meeting.
Foreign Minister level meeting of SCO is to be held in Goa in May. This invitation has been sent on behalf of Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
SCO includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan apart from India and Pakistan. Invitations have also been sent to foreign ministers of other Central Asian countries including China and Russia for this meeting.
In such a situation, sending an invitation to the Foreign Minister of Pakistan seems to be a very normal step, but is this all?
The invitation has been sent at a time when there was no atmosphere for talks till last month.
Zardari made an objectionable statement
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made an objectionable statement on 16 December 2022 in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council i.e. UNSC, regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, 'Osama bin Laden is dead but Butcher of Gujarat is alive and he belongs to India, is the prime minister. Till he did not become the Prime Minister, there was a ban on his coming to America.
Bilawal gave this statement a day before after Jaishankar's statement in UNSC. In the UNSC on December 15, Jaishankar had said, "The country which can host Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden and attack the Parliament of its neighboring country, has no need to become a preacher in the UN."
What has changed that the invitation was sent
On January 6 this year, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif begged India to start talks. He said, we fought 3 wars with India. Due to this people only got poverty, unemployment. We have learned our lesson. We want to live in peace. There should be direct talks between India and Pakistan.
Not only this, Pakistan kept pleading UAE to mediate in this matter. On January 19, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reacted to Shahbaz Sharif's statement. He said that India has always wanted to maintain normal relations with Pakistan. However, for such a relationship, it is necessary to have an environment free from terror and violence. There should also be an atmosphere of peace for such talks. This has always been our approach.
Along with this, Lashkar terrorist Makki was declared a global terrorist only after a few days and this time even China did not come to save him. In 2022, the same China had saved five terrorists of Pakistan including Makki. Not only this, China itself has clarified its move saying that terrorism is the enemy of humanity.
After about 12 years, for the first time, the Pakistani Foreign Minister can come to India.
Can Pakistan ever reform
While many experts agree that Pakistan is a nursery of terror and can never reform, India's options are limited. How else can you endear yourself to a neighbor?
There is a possibility of better relations between India and Pakistan. A strong reason for this is also that the economic condition of Pakistan is very critical at this time. However, there is a difference of opinion among all ministers and parliamentarians on the issue of talking to India within the Pakistani government itself.
Apart from the government in Pakistan, the army plays an important role there. The senior army officers have not yet made any statement on the relationship between the two countries.
Pakistan is also a member of SCO
In such a situation, this statement of Shahbaz and the invitation sent to Bilawal Bhutto should be seen only as an attempt to build a better relationship. Being the host country of SCO, India has sent an invitation to the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Since Pakistan is also a member of the SCO, New Delhi would not like to show itself doing anything wrong. Unless there is a dialogue between India and Pakistan outside the SCO, no progress in relations can be expected.
However, due to this, a positive environment can be created for talks between the two countries.
(Contributed by Vyalok)