IT is a curious twist. Indo-Pakistan relations, normally a big talking point, hardly figure in the Pakistani elections this time. PML chief Nawaz Sharif had raised hopes in India that the stalled dialogue with New Delhi would be resumed within weeks of his coming to power. The statement, made to an Indian TV network, went unnoticed in Pakistan.
However, it is certain that if Sharif comes to power, there is bound to be a thaw of sorts in bilateral ties. While Kashmir, which Islamabad describes as the "core issue", is far from being resolved, there will definitely be a change in atmospherics. Thats the experience from Sharifs last tenure. While Sharif was in office from 1990 to 1993, he met the then Indian prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao several times at international meets. But Benazir in her latest tenure did not meet her Indian counterpart even once.
As leader of the PPP, Benazir has had to constantly contend with the widespread impression of being soft on India an image formed during her first tenure when she met Rajiv Gandhi during the SAARC summit in Islamabad. And she has had a hard time living it down. With the result that she was constantly shrill and strident on India. The last secretary level dialogue was held in January 1994, when she was prime minister, and the two countries could not reconcile their differences over Kashmir. Sharif doesnt have such a problem as a Muslim League leader, he doesnt have to proclaim his patriotism all the time, which results in much less stridency and public posturing against India.
At any rate, there is unlikely to be much of a change after the polls. Says Prof. Rashid Ahmed Khan, chairman, political science department, Punjab University: "There hasnt been any perceptible change in the publics attitude here. Thats because of the reports of human rights violations in Kashmir. There hasnt been any lobby in Pakistan in recent years which has told the public to think realistically and rationally about Indo-Pak relations."
He expects a weak government to be sworn in after the elections, which in his opinion will not be in a position to take "bold decisions or new initiatives". If Sharif comes to power it will be with the help of the establishment and so would not be in a position to take any new initiative, Khan points out.
But the Jamaat-i-Islami feels that Indo-Pakistan relations can improve only if India first concedes that Kashmir is a dispute. "Otherwise, going to each others country for a dialogue will be like going for a walk," says its information secretary, Ameer-ul-Azeem.
But going by what PML information secretary Mushahid Hussain, a foreign affairs expert and a close confidant of Sharif, says, foreign policy may not be Sharifs top priority if he comes to India. Says Mushahid: "Given the situation in Pakistan, we need an inward-looking foreign policy. We must first clean up the mess in Pakistan. We need to have good business-like relations with India." He names "Kashmir and the general Indian attitude towards smaller neighbours" as the roadblocks in this relationship.
However,바카라 웹사이트 Mushahid feels that H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral are doing a "good job" in the foreign policy arena. "Gujral had come to Lahore before he became the foreign minister last year and met Sharif. He wants a better rapport with Pakistan." So the ball is in Islamabads court.