The Week India – August 04, 2019

42 THE WEEK • AUGUST 4, 2019

DIPLOMACY

INDIA-PAK TIES

of normalcy, with plenty of external

help. The US itself has been having

conversations with both sides, and

there was a hint that the pressure

was working. For instance, the In-

dian Davis Cup team is expected to

play in Pakistan after a gap of nearly

55 years.

Negotiations on the Kartarpur

corridor have been productive.

From just a symbolic commitment,

both countries have been look-

ing at tangible deliverables in the

second round. The Indian demand

for allowing 5,000 pilgrims with-

out visas has been accepted along

with the demand for permitting

non-Sikh pilgrims as well. India

submitted details of flood patterns

in the area, urging Pakistan to build

a bridge instead of an embankment,

which again, was agreed upon. “The

Kartarpur corridor will bring pros-

perity,’’ said Ramesh Arora, a Sikh

Pakistani politician with the Pakistan

Muslim League (Nawaz). He said the

work on the corridor had continued

even when the two countries were

on the brink of war. “If we have any

imagination, religious tourism should

be encouraged,’’ said G. Parthasar-

athy, former Indian high commis-

sioner to Islamabad. “It should not

be one-way. We should also open

up sufi shrines and encourage group

tourism. Why not group tourism for

the Taj Mahal?’’ The progress on Kar-

tarpur, the verdict of the International

Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan

Jadhav case and the opening up of

the airspace were incremental steps

towards normalising ties between

the two countries.

But, with Trump’s inopportune

remarks, India-Pakistan relations

could hit yet another rough patch.

In an attempt to keep up pressure

on Kashmir, Pakistan on July 24

summoned India’s deputy high

commissioner, Gaurav Ahluwalia,

to condemn “the unprovoked

ceasefire violations’’ on the Line of

Control on July 22 and 23, which, it

said, resulted in two civilian deaths.

No amount of pressure, however,

is going to force India to change its

traditional position on Kashmir.

Speaking in Parliament on July 23,

Jaishankar stressed upon the bilat-

eral nature of the conflict. “It has

been India’s consistent position that

all outstanding issues with Pakistan

are discussed only bilaterally,” he

said. “I would further underline

that any engagement with Pakistan

would require an end to cross-bor-

der terrorism.”

The biggest

casualty of the

Trump remark on

Kashmir could be

the India-Pakistan

relationship, which

has been limping

back to a semblance

of normalcy.

HOPE FLOATS

Friends of Kulb-

hushan Jadhav

celebrate the ICJ’s

order to review

his case. Peaceful

resolution of the

issue will go a long

way in normalising

India-Pak ties

AP