BEIJING: Military forces from Pakistan and India will take part in a jointmilitary exercise ‘Peace-Mission 2018’ to be held in August this year,under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
It will be the very first time for soldiers from the two countries tojointly conduct training for a war game. The SCO’s role in maintainingregional peace has started to display, reports Chinese official newspaper,the Global Times.
Since the partition of India in 1947, conflicts between NewDelhi and Islamabad have been occurring one after another. Contradictionsbetween the two have presented enormous obstacles for South Asian regionalintegration.
Against this backdrop, it is good to see the two agree to take part injoint military training. When India and Pakistan were accepted as fullmembers of the SCO in June 2017, some observers worried that the long-termfoes might turn the organisation into a platform to fight against eachother. Now, it seems that the SCO has instilled a spirit of collaborationbetween the two.
In 1972, before former US president Richard Nixon met with his counterpartMao Zedong in China – a meeting that changed the course of history – heasked himself three questions: What did China want? What did the US want?What did they both want? Nixon understood that the third question was thekey for both sides crafting a deal.
India and Pakistan also know what they both want – peaceful development.The two countries are aware that they should extricate themselves from theantagonism created by British colonialism, and strive for cooperation. It’sbeen over 70 years since their independence from British rule and it istime to step out of the colonialist shadows.
New Delhi and Islamabad share quite a lot of common interests. They bothwant to crack down on terrorism, resolve their domestic economic problemsand raise the living standard of their people. But without peace andstability or regional integration, these goals are certainly out of reach.
India wants to play a crucial role in the international arena, yetconfrontation against Pakistan has been holding it back from realizing itsdream. Likewise, Pakistan has also spent substantial resources on itschallenges with India. Only by breaking away from their rivalry can theyfocus on economic development and win larger strategic and diplomaticrelevancy.
The SCO provides India and Pakistan with a platform to work together. Butit is not their sole opportunity. The Belt and Road initiative alsoadvocates cooperation for common interests. New Delhi has long beensuspicious of the initiative, but China is investing in India’smanufacturing industry, clean energy, etc, which are not in the name of theBelt and Road initiative, yet embody the same spirit of the program.
The forthcoming joint military training of India and Pakistan deservesencouragement. It is hoped the two can establish a mutual trust to serve asa foundation for future cooperation.