Following the recent comment from Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, wherein he had advocated re-engagement with India, National Security Advisor (NSA) to the Prime Minister of India Ajit Doval has said that New Delhi wishes to normalize ties with Pakistan.
However, the ministry elucidated that there is no change in policy towards New Delhi. Addressing a think-tank last week, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said at a time when Islamabad is pivoting to economic diplomacy, normal ties with New Delhi cannot be ignored.
He went on to remark, and rightly so, that relations with India and the US have been problematic. Thus, any talk of rewriting ties should not be interpreted as a weakness or a sell-off, as was being construed by certain quarters, and must be seen as a stride in the right direction.
Doval in an interview said that India wants good relations with all neighbouring countries. The Indian national security adviser added that “we will decide when to talk peace and with whom.”
There has been no constructive engagement between Islamabad and New Delhi for the last two decades, at least, and the symbolic composite dialogue format was a non-starter. The reason is not only a trust deficit but also an inherent bias on the part of Delhi not to let Islamabad have the leverage by settling outstanding disputes, especially Kashmir. This approach had thwarted any meaningful progress in their estranged relations.
Being the focal transit point of BRI’s flagship CPEC initiative, Pakistan has time and again offered an olive branch to India to normalize ties in good faith. This is what Bilawal apparently meant as he called for constructively engaging with Delhi.
India and its radical regime under the indoctrination of Hindutva must mend fences with Pakistan. Resolving the Kashmir issue and opening up with Islamabad in the realms of trade is indispensable. The onus is on India to take a call, which only demands true spirit and will to move forward.
