 |
| Image: Flickr user narendramodiofficial |
By Sanjay Kumar
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi must inject the India-Pakistan relationship with vision.
When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his swearing- in ceremony in New Delhi last May, it was taken as a very significant diplomatic gesture and a bold initiative by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. Both domestic and international observers hailed it as a landmark move by an Indian leader who exhibited a new vision for India and Pakistan in South Asia compared to his predecessors. After all, it was the first time in recent memory a Pakistani leader was invited to such an important event in India.
The gesture was all the more significant as it came from Modi, a man who is perceived, certainly in Pakistan, as a radical Hindu nationalist leader. Outside India, the move was understood as an indication that Modi wanted to break with his pre-election image of an anti-Muslim politician by redefining the paradigm of the India-Pakistan relationship. Pakistanis, many of whom were apprehensive of the rise of the BJP leader, also welcomed the move and were willing to trust him.
Seven months down the line, May 2014 looks like a distant past — a meaningless gesture, a non-event. No one talks about it. Gone are hopes of a deepening relationship, greater economic engagement, and people-to-people contact between these two neighbors. Instead, bitterness and distrust define the present state of relations between the two South Asian states. Jingoism and calls for revenge come out of the mouths of political leaders in both countries.
The old political narrative has once again come to dominate the relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad. It has reached such a pass that the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has offered to mediate between the two neighbors so that they will resume talks to create an atmosphere conducive to peace in the region.
Read the full story at The Diplomat