new Delhi. Whenever Pakistan is discussed, it has fought four wars with India (1947–48, 1965, 1971 and 1999), besides sponsoring terror and proxy war in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (the present Union Territory). mutual distrust is compounded. Pakistan’s own history has been somewhat people-friendly due to its lack of democracy, with no elected prime minister completing his entire five-year term in one go.
While the country has been ruled by the military for more than half its independent existence, it remains the architect of Pakistan’s defence, Kashmir, nuclear and foreign policy, even with the military officially out of power.
After independence, there have been many attempts by various leaders to resolve the differences between the two countries, but there has been no peace between the two countries. Despite widespread similarities in customs, language, food and culture, they have clashed and missed various opportunities to establish peaceful relations with each other over the decades.
Intermittent efforts were made to increase people-to-people contact to develop an ecosystem to facilitate healthy coexistence and growth, but to no avail.
The current economic crisis in Sri Lanka has also caused unprecedented human suffering, possibly due to the Chinese ‘debt trap’. Despite this, there are still big challenges for India. Similarly, Pakistan is also likely to be completely drowned with Chinese predatory debt through the lure of the CPEC corridor project and other investments.
Unemployment and inflation are touching record levels in Pakistan and the day is not far when Pakistan will also follow the Sri Lankan path of crisis and collapse. Such adverse economic condition of our neighboring country is not good for India at all.
While Pakistan navigates this state of economic crisis, it has again been hit by another political crisis in which the Imran Khan government recommended the dissolution of the National Assembly and recommended fresh general elections. Now that the Supreme Court has declared the deputy speaker’s abrogation of the National Assembly unconstitutional, there is a possibility that Imran Khan’s premiership may have to lick the dust.
One hope has been raised by the change in behavior of Pakistan’s top military officials, who may or may be willing to discuss and, perhaps, pave the way for bilateral resolution of outstanding disputes with India. Though it seems a bit strange to expect a real change in Pakistan Army despite their open statements on this issue, but it needs to be believed and this thread opened.
In fact, some analysts believe that Pakistan’s military does not want to see Pakistan as a failed state, as it cannot survive long on loans from the IMF, Chinese and Saudi Arabia and needs to build its own economy. which is the root of trade between India and Pakistan.
In fact, a mild trade offer was put forward by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, but it was unheeded by the delusional leadership of Imran Khan, who had turned anti-India over the past three years. The absence of these trade links has resulted in very high prices in Pakistan, where, according to memes circulating on social media, the price of basic vegetables such as potatoes and tomatoes is almost 10 times higher than the prices in India.
The suffering of the Pakistani population has probably been felt by the top military leadership, especially General Bajwa, who considers himself an outstanding statesman. The Pakistani military understands that direct trade between India and Pakistan is key not only to economic growth, but also to Pakistan’s troubles on its western borders, where a resolute Taliban refuses to follow their masters’ bid Is.
The fact that a year earlier, the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control was reiterated and strengthened, leading to an unusual peace along the line, serves as a positive reminder that the Pakistani army is likely to be joined by India. the wanted. Smart diplomacy and engagement could open up a new avenue for peace and stability in the subcontinent. Location and progress should always be given a chance due to geographical connectivity. Close relationships help develop mutual trust and help in resolving complex situations. Better people-to-people contacts, good trade relations that reduce inflation can act as a springboard towards solving our common issues.
Who knows, the Radcliffe Line may lose its relevance as the now ruined Berlin Wall and we progress and develop as happy neighbors?
(Major General Ashok Kumar, VSM (Retd) is a Kargil war veteran and defense analyst)
—AnyTV News
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