ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa has made attempts toreach out to India with an aim to restart talks, but it is New Delhi thathas been refusing to meet him halfway, a commentary by a leading Britishthink tank has said.
The analysis of Bajwa’s overtures was carried by the Royal United ServicesInstitute (RUSI), and was written by Kamal Alam, RUSI’s visiting fellow onPakistan. However, the RUSI commentary came with the disclaimer that theopinion was not its own position.
“Senior Pakistani officers, led by Army Chief of Staff General Qamar JavedBajwa, realise that the way to peace and prosperity is through militarycooperation with India, read the article.
The author listed a number of steps that Bajwa has taken in recent monthsseemingly in a bid at rapprochement with India. He pointed out that thedefence attache at the Indian embassy in Islamabad had been invited to thePakistan Day military parade in March, for the first ever time. Bajwa hadsaid two weeks later that the Pakistan military wanted peace and dialoguewith India.
The author posits that the change in the tone of the Pakistan military’sview on India began with Bajwa’s ascent to the leadership of the PakistanArmy in November 2016, combined with the easing of internal pressures onthe Rawalpinidi GHQ.
Since the army launched antiterror operations Zarb-e-Azb in 2014 andRadd-ul-Fassad in 2017, Pakistan has seen a turnaround in its security,”read the commentary.
“With growing security and stability on the western border, the armyunderstands that talking to India will help the country’s upward economictrajectory and allow regional trade flourish,” it added.
The author then places the ball firmly in India’s court. “India has so farrejected Pakistan’s offer of a transit trade dialogue on Afghan-Indiancommerce. But with a sustained approach by Pakistani officers to India, itcould only be a matter of time before Delhi agrees to at least talk toIslamabad,” he said.
Alam ended his commentary saying there is a long way to go in this processof rapprochement.