Day 66 – Q.3 At a time when Pakistan is facing a severe economic crisis, what should be India’s strategy towards Pakistan? Do you think Pakistan’s call for dialogue and engagement should be taken on a serious note by India? Critically comment.

At a time when Pakistan is facing a severe economic crisis, what should be India’s strategy towards Pakistan? Do you think Pakistan’s call for dialogue and engagement should be taken on a serious note by India? Critically comment.

ऐसे समय में जब पाकिस्तान गंभीर आर्थिक संकट का सामना कर रहा है, भारत की पाकिस्तान के प्रति क्या रणनीति होनी चाहिए? क्या आपको लगता है कि भारत द्वारा बातचीत और जुड़ाव के लिए पाकिस्तान के आह्वान को गंभीरता से लिया जाना चाहिए? समालोचनात्मक टिप्पणी करें।

Approach

In this question candidates need to write about indias strategy towards Pakistan as Pakistan is facing worst economic crisis . does pakisthan’s call for dialogue is genuine or fake examine it critically.

Introduction

Undoubtedly, Pakistan has been experiencing its worst economic crisis amidst food shortages, flash floods, and poverty. According to the State Bank, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves last week dropped to $4.3 billion, the lowest level since February 2014 hence Pakistan has called for dialogue with India .

Body

• Pakistan’s economy has hit rock bottom, leaving its citizens struggling to meet basic needs such as food and energy.
• Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for “serious and sincere talks” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “burning points like Kashmir.” Mr. Sharif said that Pakistan has learned its lesson after three wars with India and stressed that now it wants peace with its neighbour.It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources,
• Meanwhile, the Pakistan PMO, in a series of tweets, clarified that PM Sharif had made it clear that talks with India will be possible only when the neighbour reverses the abrogation of Article 370 that grants autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir.
• With three wars with India, and they have only brought more misery, poverty, and unemployment to the people. We have learnt our lesson, and we want to live in peace with India, provided we are able to resolve our genuine problems,”
• Pakistan, which is battling a severe economic crisis, public discontent due to flour crisis and fuel shortage among others, is also faced with rising instances of terror attacks by the Three-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which had ended a ceasefire with the country’s security forces late last year.
• “India is our neighbour country, we are neighbour . Let’s be very blunt, even if we are not neighbour by choice we are there forever and it is up to us for us to live peacefully and progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources.
• “[India] usurped whatever semblance of autonomy was given to Kashmiris in their Constitution Article 370. They revoked that in August 2019, and minorities over there are pained, grossly mishandled. This must stop so that a message can go around the globe that India is ready to have talks, and we are more than ready,” said Mr. Sharif.
• he said that both the countries have engineers, doctors, and skilled labourer.”We want to utilize these assets for prosperity and to bring peace to the region so that both nations can grow.”
• “Pakistan does not want to waste resources on bombs and ammunition. We are nuclear powers, armed to the teeth, and if God forbids, a war breaks out, who will live to tell what happened?” he said.
• PM has consistently maintained that Pakistan & India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means,” the Pakistan PMO tweeted.
• “However the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated on record that talks can only take place after India has reversed its illegal action of August 5, 2019. Without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible,” it said, adding “The settlement of the Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the UN resolutions & aspirations of people of Jammu & Kashmir.
• India in November last year had lashed out at Pakistan for raking up the issue of Kashmir during a United Nations debate, terming it as “desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods”.
• Pakistan’s plans for economic development-Pakistan, and especially its army leadership, seem to be greatly inspired by China’s economic rise and believe that Pakistan can benefit enormously from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship of Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative.
• The CPEC’s phase-II, which was signed between Pakistan and China in February this year, revolves around the creation of special economic zones, industrialization, and information technology with the Gwadar deep-sea port as the regional connectivity hub.
• Meanwhile, work on the third industrial revolution, which involves cyberspace connectivity by fibre optic cables, subsea cables, Huawei 5G wireless connections, and BeiDou satellite navigation system, with special resolution rights for Pakistan, would be carried forward under CPEC phase-II.
• The fourth industrial revolution, which emphasizes on artificial intelligence (AI) and data, has already begun in Pakistan. With the help of Chinese companies, the country is building data centers. In August 2020, the Pakistan Air Force established a national nodal agency for AI and its applications, called the Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC).
• However, to accomplish all these goals, Pakistan needs to have peace with India.

Why should India resume talks-

• What does India get in return? If the LoC becomes a soft border, India’s two-front war strategy and the Cold Start doctrine against the Pakistan Army, which has not been war-gamed, will not be put to test.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory will achieve normalcy and the Indian Army can reduce counter-terror operations.

Conclusion –

Resuming the dialogue will  substantially reduce the Indian Army’s strength, and with the ensuing savings, India could invest in the emerging dual use technologies. Therefore, if understood from this perspective, peace with Pakistan would be a win-win not only for the two nations but for the region as well.