Hina Rabbani Khar, the former foreign minister of Pakistan, speaking at the 4th Islamabad Literature Festival, highlighted the importance of improving relations between Pakistan and India. She criticised the intransigent position that the Pakistani state has historically adopted according to which no progress can be made with India without first solving the Kashmir dispute. The former foreign minister is correct in her evaluation of the situation, as both Pakistan and India need to take full advantage of the current status of friendly relations between the prime ministers of the two countries and address each other’s concerns. The regional peace of South Asia will always be in danger if the two nuclear-armed states remain in a perpetual state of mutual hostility. Moreover, there are tremendous economic gains that could be made if Pakistan and India become friendly states, and this may well be a panacea for Pakistan’s economic ills.
It is true that Kashmir is the biggest issue that stands in the way of improving relations between Pakistan and India. In fact, most of the other issues stem from the Kashmir dispute, and the resulting feeling of irredentism has fuelled bitter acrimony among the citizens of the two states. Pakistan and India have adopted such inflexible positions on this issue that this has left them with little room for compromise. India’s reluctance to not talk about Kashmir coupled with Pakistan’s resoluteness to always talk about Kashmir has resulted in a self-defeating cycle. While there is a need for the two states to shift from these uncompromising positions, they would not be able to do so without first creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. This could be done by making progress on some of the less contentious disputes, for example, the Sir Creek issue. Moreover, intelligence sharing over cross border terrorism can also go a long way in allaying security concerns of the two states. It is true that both Pakistan and India want a peaceful South Asia and the only way this can be achieved is by working together to eradicate terrorism from the region.
Politics and economics work side by side, and each greatly influences the other. Capitalism has shown the world that money talks and economic interests have the power to resolve even the most bitter of differences. The China-India trade is a case in point in which mutual economic interests led to significant progress in the resolution of their boundary disputes. It for this reason that trade between Pakistan and India must be promoted so that their economic interests can become intertwined. Contrary to popular belief, trade between the two countries would not benefit India at the expense of Pakistan as Pakistan too has comparative advantage in certain areas. Moreover, it is not hard to imagine that such terms of trade can be devised that would be mutually beneficial to both countries. Pakistan and India already share a long border that has the infrastructure in place to facilitate trade. The low cost of transportation coupled with the potential gains of economic cooperation makes the two states ideal trading partners.
Mutual hostility between the public of Pakistan and India is often used as pretence for continued enmity between them. While it is true that the Kashmir dispute has provided fuel for this bitterness, however, its roots lie in the conditioning that takes place through a very stylised representation of history. Both countries indulge in selective appropriation of facts to build a narrative that suits their case. It is reasonable to believe that the two states can reverse this dynamic by moulding public opinion in favour of each other, and for that people-to-people contact and media could play a major role. And that in turn would lessen the severity of the virulence that accompanies the discourse between the two nations. Pakistan and India both need to move forward, and this cannot be done unless they shun the myopic perspective that has made them ‘enemies’ for so long. For this reason, progress at the state level is essential so that the bitterness and enmity can finally be done away with. http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/18-Apr-16/pakistan-and-india-the-new-dynamic
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