Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, recently called for normalizing relations with India, emphasizing that Pakistan does not believe in perpetual hostility. He underlined the need for a peaceful resolution to the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute, asserting that Pakistan seeks good-neighborly relations based on mutual respect and sovereign equality.
Addressing a government-run think tank’s founding anniversary, Dar highlighted the importance of prioritizing cooperation over discord in South Asia, given the region’s challenges such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disease, and environmental issues. He argued that both India and Pakistan owe peace to the people of South Asia.
Despite expressing openness to dialogue, Dar warned that Pakistan would not tolerate unilateral actions or attempts at hegemony by India. He cautioned against any “ill-considered military misadventure” driven by the “Hindutva” agenda in New Delhi, stating that Pakistan would take necessary steps to maintain strategic stability and respond effectively.
Relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated significantly after India’s government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. However, recent exchanges of congratulatory messages between Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suggest a potential thaw in relations. Modi congratulated Sharif on his new position, and Sharif reciprocated upon Modi’s third-term election victory.
Since Sharif came to power, Pakistani business leaders have urged the government to resume trade talks with India, highlighting the potential economic benefits for Pakistan. Dar indicated that Pakistan might seriously consider restoring trade ties with India, which have been suspended since August 2019 following the revocation of Article 370.
New Delhi has maintained that Jammu and Kashmir, along with Ladakh, are integral and inalienable parts of India. It has asserted that its constitutional measures in these regions are internal matters aimed at ensuring socio-economic development and good governance.
