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India has sent out a bold message to Pakistan through diplomatic channels which has the potential of changing the subcontinents geo-politics, if Islamabad were to come up with a positive response.
The terse message is this: India is game to having a meaningful and substantive relationship with Pakistan not only bilaterally but also from the point of view of entire South Asia and the region if Pakistan is willing to play ball.
Moreover, India has told Pakistan that it would like to reach out to Afghanistan with Pakistani help purely for playing out economic diplomacy with Afghanistan.
India has sought to assuage Pakistani apprehensions on Indias Afghanistan policy and said that New Delhis interests in Afghanistan were primarily driven towards ensuring Afghanistans all-round development and there was no other political agenda.
Pakistans response to the Indian suggestion is still awaited. Pakistan has looked at Indias shenanigans in Afghanistan with suspicion.
This was the message that India conveyed to Nawaz Sharif on 27 May, 2013 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs Special Envoy SK Lambah, a good nine days before Sharif was sworn in as the prime minister for a record third term.
Official sources deconstructed the Sharif-Lambah meeting for the first time, veritably lifting the veil of secrecy on Lambahs talking points with Sharif. The essence of the Indian thought amounts to a paradigm shift in Indias Pakistan policy, but with strings attached.
India has conveyed to Pakistan that it can engage with Pakistan on all issues of interest provided the new leadership of Pakistan is willing to change a new leaf and deal with India as a partner in mutual development.
Lambah is understood to have told Sharif that India would not be found wanting if Pakistan were to agree to giving an upward trajectory to development-oriented bilateral relations. As a goodwill gesture, Lambah conveyed a sincere offer of the Government of India to enter into a commercial deal for electricity.
One of the biggest problems for Pakistan today is to do something dramatic and fast on improving the power scenario in Pakistan where power outages up to twenty hours a day are common these days. Lambah conveyed New Delhis willingness to help Pakistan out of its current morass as a goodwill gesture.
Lambahs Mission Pakistan, from the Indian perspective, was to convey to the new government of Pakistan that India appreciated Sharifs stated desire to rebuild India-Pakistan relations and extend a helping hand to engage with Pakistan in broad framework of cooperation.
Sharif is understood to have told Lambah that it was India and Pakistan to build bilateral relations keeping in view the economic interests of both the sides. His response to the Indian offer of selling electricity to Pakistan was that commerce secretaries of the two governments should meet soon to take the process forward.
Informatively, two Indian teams have already visited Lahore fand offered to sell electricity and LNG to Pakistan much before the recently concluded Pakistan general elections. The last Indo-Pak discussion on the subject was held in August 2012.
Now when all this bonhomie is happening in Indo-Pak relations, the inevitable question that arises is: why India did not send a ministerial representative to attend Sharifs swearing-in when Sharif had reportedly invited Manmohan Singh himself to attend his inauguration?
Official sources have this explanation to give. There was no official offer or request to India in this regard. Sharif had made the reported offer to Manmohan Singh to attend his swearing in only in response to questions from pesky journalists. Therefore, the question of nominating any minister for Sharifs swearing in did not arise from the Indian governments standpoint. The ceremony was eventually attended by the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan.
On another oft-repeated issue from Pakistans perspective the visit of Indian Prime Minister to Pakistan New Delhi has conveyed to Islamabad that Manmohan Singh is looking forward to visiting Pakistan when there is substantive progress in bilateral relations which would make the visit credible and useful.
Manmohan Singhs take on his proposed visit to Pakistan, and duly conveyed by Lambah to Sharif, is that he is looking forward to his Pakistan visit in the wider context of South Asia, not just Pakistan, and taking the Indo-Pak relationship forward.
The moral of the story is simple. India is game for turning a new leaf with Pakistan provided the recalcitrant neighbour does some soul-searching and starts looking at India as a partner in development.
Clearly, India wants Pakistan to shed its anti-India mindset in this hour of acute economic difficulties when Pakistan is struggling hard to keep itself afloat as a nation state. The Indian offer of help and cooperation could not have come at a better time for Pakistan.
India feels that in these times of acute economic challenges, Pakistan needs to see the writing on the wall and engage with India for a win-win situation of all-round cooperation, with thrust on economic engagement.
But the question is: can the leopard change its spots?
India’s message to Nawaz Sharif: Game for bilateral ties only if Pak plays ball - Firstpost
The terse message is this: India is game to having a meaningful and substantive relationship with Pakistan not only bilaterally but also from the point of view of entire South Asia and the region if Pakistan is willing to play ball.
Moreover, India has told Pakistan that it would like to reach out to Afghanistan with Pakistani help purely for playing out economic diplomacy with Afghanistan.
India has sought to assuage Pakistani apprehensions on Indias Afghanistan policy and said that New Delhis interests in Afghanistan were primarily driven towards ensuring Afghanistans all-round development and there was no other political agenda.
Pakistans response to the Indian suggestion is still awaited. Pakistan has looked at Indias shenanigans in Afghanistan with suspicion.
This was the message that India conveyed to Nawaz Sharif on 27 May, 2013 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs Special Envoy SK Lambah, a good nine days before Sharif was sworn in as the prime minister for a record third term.
Official sources deconstructed the Sharif-Lambah meeting for the first time, veritably lifting the veil of secrecy on Lambahs talking points with Sharif. The essence of the Indian thought amounts to a paradigm shift in Indias Pakistan policy, but with strings attached.
India has conveyed to Pakistan that it can engage with Pakistan on all issues of interest provided the new leadership of Pakistan is willing to change a new leaf and deal with India as a partner in mutual development.
Lambah is understood to have told Sharif that India would not be found wanting if Pakistan were to agree to giving an upward trajectory to development-oriented bilateral relations. As a goodwill gesture, Lambah conveyed a sincere offer of the Government of India to enter into a commercial deal for electricity.
One of the biggest problems for Pakistan today is to do something dramatic and fast on improving the power scenario in Pakistan where power outages up to twenty hours a day are common these days. Lambah conveyed New Delhis willingness to help Pakistan out of its current morass as a goodwill gesture.
Lambahs Mission Pakistan, from the Indian perspective, was to convey to the new government of Pakistan that India appreciated Sharifs stated desire to rebuild India-Pakistan relations and extend a helping hand to engage with Pakistan in broad framework of cooperation.
Sharif is understood to have told Lambah that it was India and Pakistan to build bilateral relations keeping in view the economic interests of both the sides. His response to the Indian offer of selling electricity to Pakistan was that commerce secretaries of the two governments should meet soon to take the process forward.
Informatively, two Indian teams have already visited Lahore fand offered to sell electricity and LNG to Pakistan much before the recently concluded Pakistan general elections. The last Indo-Pak discussion on the subject was held in August 2012.
Now when all this bonhomie is happening in Indo-Pak relations, the inevitable question that arises is: why India did not send a ministerial representative to attend Sharifs swearing-in when Sharif had reportedly invited Manmohan Singh himself to attend his inauguration?
Official sources have this explanation to give. There was no official offer or request to India in this regard. Sharif had made the reported offer to Manmohan Singh to attend his swearing in only in response to questions from pesky journalists. Therefore, the question of nominating any minister for Sharifs swearing in did not arise from the Indian governments standpoint. The ceremony was eventually attended by the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan.
On another oft-repeated issue from Pakistans perspective the visit of Indian Prime Minister to Pakistan New Delhi has conveyed to Islamabad that Manmohan Singh is looking forward to visiting Pakistan when there is substantive progress in bilateral relations which would make the visit credible and useful.
Manmohan Singhs take on his proposed visit to Pakistan, and duly conveyed by Lambah to Sharif, is that he is looking forward to his Pakistan visit in the wider context of South Asia, not just Pakistan, and taking the Indo-Pak relationship forward.
The moral of the story is simple. India is game for turning a new leaf with Pakistan provided the recalcitrant neighbour does some soul-searching and starts looking at India as a partner in development.
Clearly, India wants Pakistan to shed its anti-India mindset in this hour of acute economic difficulties when Pakistan is struggling hard to keep itself afloat as a nation state. The Indian offer of help and cooperation could not have come at a better time for Pakistan.
India feels that in these times of acute economic challenges, Pakistan needs to see the writing on the wall and engage with India for a win-win situation of all-round cooperation, with thrust on economic engagement.
But the question is: can the leopard change its spots?
India’s message to Nawaz Sharif: Game for bilateral ties only if Pak plays ball - Firstpost
