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By Wajahat Qazi
Nawaz Sharif recently took the oath as the 27th Prime Minister of Pakistan. His political comeback, after spending years in exile and political wilderness, is held to be a harbinger of change in Pakistan. The thrust and direction of this change pertains to the nature of Pakistans power structure, its economy and external orientation vis a vis, the United States, Afghanistan and India. All of these are interlinked.
Pakistans external orientation flows from its internal dynamics: the nature of the Pakistani state and its real power structure, which is oligarchical. Or, in simple words, we are talking about the army and allied intelligence agencies and the feudal cast of some of its population.
This power structure and the idea and ideology of Pakistan is intact and extant. The question is: given this, can Nawaz Sharif lead the country out of the morass and structural crises it is gripped by? What should be the direction of the change? And more importantly, how should Nawaz Sharif deal with India?
It may, in the final analysis, be incredibly difficult for Sharif do anything that amounts to more than tinkering. This is the sober and prosaic reality of the state of Pakistan. The major reason for this is the path dependence of the ideology of Pakistan and the institutional superstructure this has spawned. It is almost next to impossible to roll this back. Having said this, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, given the mandate vested in him and the power that accrues from this, has room for manoeuvre. He could potentially use this space to make policy decisions that makes a positive difference to his country, the subcontinent and the world at large.
So what can Sharif do?
The first and perhaps most significant step that he can do is to initiate a substantive dialogue with India. One prong and prop of Pakistani nationalism is viewing India at its other. That is, Pakistani nationalism is premised on viewing India as its arch enemy. This colours both the state and nation of Pakistan. In this ideational, emotional and ideological dynamic, Kashmir occupies centrestage for Pakistan and its people.
To recapitulate briefly, Pakistan views Kashmir as the unfinished business of partition and feels incomplete without the incorporation of Kashmir into it. In combination with negative nationalism and the obsession with Kashmir, the Pakistani state and nation vests considerable energy in trying to wrest Kashmir from India. This has, in the final analysis, had tremendous repercussions for the state and society of Pakistan and has global security implications. The dialogue with India then needs to be Kashmir-centric where Kashmir should be the core issue in terms of a final resolution of the conflict.
This becomes more germane and pertinent given that structural changes have accrued both in terms of the conflict, in Pakistan and international politics. The conflict over Kashmir has morphed somewhat into a conflict in Kashmir.
Overlaying this is the structural and existential crisis that Pakistan is gripped by. This, in turn, is complemented by the drift in international relations where the international system can neither countenance the formation of micro and mini states. As such there is no real interest in the concept and idea of self-determination. In combination then it is a mugs game to latch onto the notion that the Kashmir conflict can be resolved along the lines of a zero-sum dynamic and where issues of sovereignty are at stake.
What scope then does Nawaz Sharif have in terms of a substantive dialogue with India over the major sticking point of Kashmir?
Sharif needs to do something bold and beautiful. Specifically, this would or may entail educating his countrymen over the pitfalls of latching onto dated themes and ideas and the price that Pakistan has had to pay for this. He can then seek an honourable exit with India over Kashmir, wherein a mechanism and modus vivendi that is satisfying to both sides is arrived at. This may mean quietly dropping the maximalist claim on Kashmir and then rebuilding relations with India.
An honourable exit would mean that Sharif obtains some kind of pledge from India that some sort of solution will be found to deal with the wishes of Kashmiris within the sovereign rubric of India. This could, for instance, mean greater autonomy for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Some form of a modus vivendi could also be arrived over the line of control (LoC). In a world where borders as well as the nation-state are undergoing significant changes, finding and arriving at a mechanism where borders are not as sacrosanct falls within the domain of the possible. What is required is creativity, imagination and will.
Ultimately, it is in Pakistans interest to review and course-correct. It is about time that the country takes recourse to vigorous introspection and embarks on a path that is salubrious to itself, the region, the world at large and Kashmiris. If sober interest over emotion and ideology becomes the driving factor in the strategic and political calculus of Pakistan, the country could morph into a normal nation state at peace with itself and the world. Pakistan owes this to itself.
Why Nawaz Sharif needs an honourable exit from Kashmir - Firstpost
Nawaz Sharif recently took the oath as the 27th Prime Minister of Pakistan. His political comeback, after spending years in exile and political wilderness, is held to be a harbinger of change in Pakistan. The thrust and direction of this change pertains to the nature of Pakistans power structure, its economy and external orientation vis a vis, the United States, Afghanistan and India. All of these are interlinked.
Pakistans external orientation flows from its internal dynamics: the nature of the Pakistani state and its real power structure, which is oligarchical. Or, in simple words, we are talking about the army and allied intelligence agencies and the feudal cast of some of its population.
This power structure and the idea and ideology of Pakistan is intact and extant. The question is: given this, can Nawaz Sharif lead the country out of the morass and structural crises it is gripped by? What should be the direction of the change? And more importantly, how should Nawaz Sharif deal with India?
It may, in the final analysis, be incredibly difficult for Sharif do anything that amounts to more than tinkering. This is the sober and prosaic reality of the state of Pakistan. The major reason for this is the path dependence of the ideology of Pakistan and the institutional superstructure this has spawned. It is almost next to impossible to roll this back. Having said this, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, given the mandate vested in him and the power that accrues from this, has room for manoeuvre. He could potentially use this space to make policy decisions that makes a positive difference to his country, the subcontinent and the world at large.
So what can Sharif do?
The first and perhaps most significant step that he can do is to initiate a substantive dialogue with India. One prong and prop of Pakistani nationalism is viewing India at its other. That is, Pakistani nationalism is premised on viewing India as its arch enemy. This colours both the state and nation of Pakistan. In this ideational, emotional and ideological dynamic, Kashmir occupies centrestage for Pakistan and its people.
To recapitulate briefly, Pakistan views Kashmir as the unfinished business of partition and feels incomplete without the incorporation of Kashmir into it. In combination with negative nationalism and the obsession with Kashmir, the Pakistani state and nation vests considerable energy in trying to wrest Kashmir from India. This has, in the final analysis, had tremendous repercussions for the state and society of Pakistan and has global security implications. The dialogue with India then needs to be Kashmir-centric where Kashmir should be the core issue in terms of a final resolution of the conflict.
This becomes more germane and pertinent given that structural changes have accrued both in terms of the conflict, in Pakistan and international politics. The conflict over Kashmir has morphed somewhat into a conflict in Kashmir.
Overlaying this is the structural and existential crisis that Pakistan is gripped by. This, in turn, is complemented by the drift in international relations where the international system can neither countenance the formation of micro and mini states. As such there is no real interest in the concept and idea of self-determination. In combination then it is a mugs game to latch onto the notion that the Kashmir conflict can be resolved along the lines of a zero-sum dynamic and where issues of sovereignty are at stake.
What scope then does Nawaz Sharif have in terms of a substantive dialogue with India over the major sticking point of Kashmir?
Sharif needs to do something bold and beautiful. Specifically, this would or may entail educating his countrymen over the pitfalls of latching onto dated themes and ideas and the price that Pakistan has had to pay for this. He can then seek an honourable exit with India over Kashmir, wherein a mechanism and modus vivendi that is satisfying to both sides is arrived at. This may mean quietly dropping the maximalist claim on Kashmir and then rebuilding relations with India.
An honourable exit would mean that Sharif obtains some kind of pledge from India that some sort of solution will be found to deal with the wishes of Kashmiris within the sovereign rubric of India. This could, for instance, mean greater autonomy for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Some form of a modus vivendi could also be arrived over the line of control (LoC). In a world where borders as well as the nation-state are undergoing significant changes, finding and arriving at a mechanism where borders are not as sacrosanct falls within the domain of the possible. What is required is creativity, imagination and will.
Ultimately, it is in Pakistans interest to review and course-correct. It is about time that the country takes recourse to vigorous introspection and embarks on a path that is salubrious to itself, the region, the world at large and Kashmiris. If sober interest over emotion and ideology becomes the driving factor in the strategic and political calculus of Pakistan, the country could morph into a normal nation state at peace with itself and the world. Pakistan owes this to itself.
Why Nawaz Sharif needs an honourable exit from Kashmir - Firstpost
