With no specific agenda drawn up as yet for talks between the National Security Advisor of Pakistan Sartaj Aziz and his Indian counterpart Ajit Dovel in New Delhi on 23-24 August, a high level meeting chaired by Prime Minister and attended by COAS, DG ISI, Interior minister, finance minister, national security advisor and special assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, decided to give top priority to Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan and ceasefire violations along the LOC and working boundary during the talks. Reportedly a dossier has been prepared which will be presented to India containing concrete evidence of sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan.

In the prevailing situation and the continued Indian hostilities along the LOC and the working boundary, keeping these issues on top of the agenda is quite understandable, though Kashmir and water issues will also be discussed. Unfortunately, the tensions on the border about which the UN Secretary General has also voiced concern, do not provide a congenial atmosphere for the scheduled dialogue and one cannot expect a major breakthrough with respect to the commencement of a serious process of dialogue on the core issue of Kashmir. Unfortunately it has almost become a predictable pattern by India to up the ante before the talks which practically reduces the exercise to merely a ritual for dialogue designed to distract attention from the core issue of Kashmir, rather than a determined and honest effort to resolve the contentious issues between the two countries and closing the chapter of unenviable relations of the past. The PML-N government, ever since its installation, has been making strenuous efforts to promote bonhomie between the two countries and has made several positive overtures in this regard.

The failure by the Modi government to respond to peace initiatives by Pakistan as necessitated and dictated by the fast changing geo-political realities and prospects of a shared economic prosperity in the region, is very regrettable indeed. Since its very inception the Modi government has been taking steps that are tantamount to creating more tensions in the region with all their accompanying negative fallout. Immediately after return of Nawaz Sharif from New Delhi after participating in the inaugural ceremony of Modi that raised hopes for a break through, the Indian security forces reignited hostilities along the LOC and India unilaterally suspended the scheduled Secretary level talks between the two countries. The Indians have been lobbying intensely against financing of Basha-Diamir Dam by ADB maintaining that the facility was being constructed in the disputed territory. The Indian media and government have also tried to undermine the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the same lines and reportedly Modi during his talks with the Chinese leaders did raise this issue with them.
The Indian intelligence agency RAW has not only been sponsoring and supporting acts of terrorism within Pakistan with a view to destabilize the country and scare away the foreign investors, it has also been specifically trying to sabotage the implementation of CPEC. A special cell has been created within the agency for the purpose. The renewed acts of terrorism in Pakistan in the wake of the launching of the CPEC and the evidence gathered by our intelligence outfits and the government clearly point to this anti-Pakistan policies of the Modi government, which seems relying on whipping up anti-Pakistan feelings within the Indian masses to shore up its dwindling popularity.
Political analyst in India believe that Modi, the architect of the unprecedented electoral victory of BJP in 2014 General Election, is fast losing the momentum that he built during the election campaign on the home front and the first ranting testimony of this came when his party was badly routed in Delhi by the Aam Aadmi Party only after eight months in power, despite the much trumpeted turn around in the economy. The reason being that he and his government have failed to shun the communal politics that has remained the hall mark of Modi’s political creed. The Muslim and Christian communities really feel isolated and ex-communicated from the mainstream Indian politics. Many India watchers are of the opinion are of the view that the faith that the Corporate India had reposed in Modi, is likely to evaporate sooner or later when the negative fallout of his initiatives in the political arena starts impacting the economic landscape of the country. There are already signs of Congress and other parties regaining some of their lost political territory.

The move on the part of the BJP government to have article 370 of the Indian constitution repealed, which grants special status to Kashmir and its recent steps to change the demographic contours of Jammu and Kashmir are akin to Israeli efforts to change the demographic features of the Palestinian land by building more and more Jewish settlements. These step are neither acceptable to the people of Kashmir (as indicated by recent protests in Kashmir) nor Pakistan and would continue to mar peace within India and in the region.
The proven Indian involvement in Balochistan and acts of terrorism throughout Pakistan are the most dangerous moves by India. They would not only affect the chances of peace and harmony between the two countries but would also undermine regional security so vital to unleashing the economic potential that is waiting to be exploited for the benefit of all the countries of the region. Therefore in the interest of peace in the region which is an essential ingredient for ensuring the success of the economic initiatives, Modi needs to revisit his political philosophy and shun his known hostility and enmity towards Pakistan. That indeed would require an honest transformation in his attitude.
The efforts of Pakistan to engage India in a dialogue are no doubt beyond reproach and a preferable way of resolving disputes between the two countries but if history is any guide, the mechanism of resolving disputes between the two countries including Kashmir through bilateral talks as provided in the Simla Agreement has failed to deliver due to Indian intransigence and there seems no hope of its success in the future. It can either be resolved through third party mediation or the intervention of the UN for the implementation of its resolutions on the Kashmir issue. The UN resolutions still hold good and take precedence over the Simla Agreement as per the UN charter. Therefore Pakistan is very much within its right to re-raise the issue at the UN Security Council, which it must. The UN Secretary General merely restricting himself to urging the two countries to resolve disputes through dialogue must take practical steps for the implementation of the UN resolutions if the world body really wants peace in the region.