In India, senior Congress leader and former federal minister Mani Shankar Aiyar stated in his article published in Frontline magazine regarding Pakistan-India tensions that it is not in India’s interest to cut off ties with Pakistan.
Former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who had served as India’s Consul General in Karachi, questioned in his article published in Frontline magazine, “Why do we trust America so much and distrust Pakistan so much?”
Mani Shankar Aiyar wrote that not maintaining contact with Pakistan is not in India’s interest; complete estrangement from Pakistan and stirring anger against it for domestic political gain are harmful for India. This not only affects national harmony but also weakens international support.
He stated that instead of holding on to old grievances and maintaining current hostility, India should reopen the doors of dialogue again, because this is the only sustainable path.
The former Indian minister wrote that the periods of military rulers were more reliable for India: Ayub Khan’s Indus Waters Treaty, Zia-ul-Haq’s Siachen framework, and Musharraf’s four-point Kashmir plan. India’s distrust of Pakistan began with Jinnah’s political victory; India has not been able to forgive that historical defeat.
It should be noted that Mani Shankar Aiyar served in the Indian Foreign Service for 26 years, was a four-time member of parliament, and served as a minister in the central cabinet from 2004 to 2009.
