Shehbaz Sharif, soon after taking oath as Pakistan Prime Minister for the second time, lost no time and raked the Kashmir issue again and called for a resolution for the Kashmiri and Palestinian people in the Pakistan National Assembly.
“Let’s all come together…and the National Assembly should pass a resolution for the freedom of Kashmiris and Palestinians,” Shehbaz Sharif said in his maiden speech after being chosen to lead the nation, even though it is widely known that his elder brother and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will make all decision regarding the running of the federal government.
Even though the Pakistan Prime Minister pledged to improve ties with neighbours, a report by the Times of India which cited people familiar with the developments, said that Pakistan is unlikely to retreat from its stance where it has said that it will only normalise relations with India only if the latter rolls back the August 2019 decision to revoke the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The report also said that India’s message to Pakistan would be to focus on creating an environment free of terror in the region and not meddle in the affairs of its neighbours. The report also did not rule out the possibility of a congratulatory message from PM Narendra Modi to Shehbaz.
The report also pointed out that Shehbaz Sharif’s message on Kashmir could have been made to keep partners of the shaky coalition led by him happy. His party in the election manifesto said that Pakistan will only restore normal ties with India only if it restores Article 370 that gave special status to the erstwhile state. The Sharifs, according to observers, have regained power with the help of the Pakistan Army, which did not favour Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The TOI report also said that Islamabad is of the belief that any forward movement to restore relations can only happen after the Lok Sabha elections. Currently, junior foreign service officials of Pakistan are officiating as charge d’affaires. This has been going on since 2019 because of Pakistan’s decision to recall its high commissioner that year following the abrogation of Article 370.
India is sticking to its policy of zero tolerance for terrorism and Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar has ruled out the revival of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) this weekend because of Pakistan’s backing of cross-border terrorism.
The report said that early elections in Jammu and Kashmir and restoration of statehood, as asked for by the Supreme Court, remains the only hope to bring back normalcy in bilateral relations.
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