Once again India-Pakistan dialogue is in dilemma. The hype created on the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to Pathankot Air Base has fizzled out and Pakistan has said in plain words ‘no NIA team visit’. Even if NIA team is allowed to visit peace would remain elusive for the two. However, there is no shortcut to achieving a lasting peace. What is needed is to engage uninterruptedly, comprehensively, and meaningfully. The talks were suspended after the militant attack on Pathankot Air Base which came close on the heels of an upswing in India-Pakistan ties after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise trip to Lahore in December uninvited and held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. The attack in Gurdaspur came after Modi and Sharif met in the Russian city of Ufa and agreed to explore ways to pursue peace talks stalled for more than two years between the two countries. The latest announcements by Pak which could have far-reaching implications are a slap on India’s face, thanks to our diplomacy and the hype created on the reach-out for peace. India expected Pakistan to act on “leads” it shared after the Pathankot attack. In turn, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed action against those who planned the daring raid which killed seven Indian security men. Doval’s comments linking the fate of the 15th January talks to the action Pakistan takes against the Pathankot attackers are a reiteration of what New Delhi has already said. Indian security agencies have identified five key figures from JeM who were involved in the conspiracy and New Delhi wants Islamabad to act against them. The terrorists under the scanner are the group’s chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad, Hafiz Abdul Shakur and Kasim Jan. It looks attempts to revive the peace initiatives will be counterproductive in the light of statement by Pakistan. It is a major diplomatic incident and embarrassment for Government of India. There is a need for Prime Minister and BJP to get off the high horse of jingoism and introspect on foreign policy for Pakistan. For Pakistan any initiative of normalisation of relations with India is Jammu and Kashmir centric and treats the dispute as the root cause of mutual distrust and other bilateral issues.
