India-Pakistan 'back channel' talks fail - Pakistani newspaper report -

Islamabad: Back channel, i.e. undeclared talks had started between India and Pakistan. But the discussion failed as a consensus could not be reached on the Kashmir issue. A Pakistani newspaper also claimed that political instability in Pakistan impacted the talks. The newspaper reported this, citing sources in the Pakistan government. This has not been confirmed by either country. But looking at the current situation in Pakistan, India does not need to hold talks with Pakistan. Former military officers and strategic analysts of India are saying that it is Pakistan’s need to start talks with India and recover its country.

Prime Minister Modi was one of the first leaders to congratulate Shehbaz Sharif after he took over as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. As a result, Pakistan’s new government was confident that relations with India could be improved. But even before this new government came to power, ‘Back Channel Diplomacy,’ i.e. unannounced talks had been going on between the two countries since April. Pakistan’s newspaper ‘The Express Tribune’ claimed that the new government of Pakistan tried to push the discussion further. The newspaper made this claim by citing its sources in the Pakistani government.

Pakistan had demanded that India show readiness to compromise on the Kashmir issue for official discussions between the two countries. Pakistan had also demanded that India cancel the G-20 Summit in Jammu and Kashmir. India’s main demand was to leave out the Kashmir issue and start bilateral trade. Both the countries were not ready to back down. Therefore, ‘The Express Tribune’ said that this discussion failed. Speaking on a Pakistani news channel, some analysts also said the talks have failed.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s previous government had announced that talks with India were impossible unless India reinstated Article 370, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Analysts and journalists in Pakistan criticised that then Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government shot itself in the foot by doing so. Because dialogue with India has become a necessity for Pakistan. Pakistan’s well-informed journalists have consistently said that an economically weak and politically unstable country like Pakistan has no choice but to hold talks with a country like India, which has gained international influence. However, Imran Khan’s government cancelled the talks with India at all levels without realising its potential and influence. The journalists criticised that this has benefited India and caused a huge loss to Pakistan.

But Pakistani media claims that Pakistan started undeclared talks with India while Imran Khan’s government was in power. Therefore, Imran Khan’s antics against India have been revealed to be hollow. At the same time, it has come to light that the new government of Pakistan is also trying to improve relations with India. But ex-army officers and strategic analysts are demanding that, at present, India should not bring prestige to Pakistan by starting talks with them. Former military officers and analysts are pointing out that even if India does not hold talks with Pakistan for the next few decades, it will not make any difference to India, but this could cause maximum damage to Pakistan.

A few weeks ago, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval issued a stern warning to Pakistan. India will not allow Pakistan to have the opportunity to hold talks or war as and when it wants. Doval had warned that whatever would happen from here on would happen on India’s terms. In the past, Pakistan had started negotiations with India and then carried out sabotage in India. Ajit Doval conveyed that Pakistan will not be given such a chance in the future.