Hope For New Era In India-Pakistan Relations

Pakistani security establishment arrested militants belonging to banned extremist outfit Jaish e Mohammad while sealing their offices on intelligence provided by India regards the Pathankot Airbase terrorist attack in India. Pakistani government is now offering India to not only cooperate in the Pathankot Airbase attack, but also send over an investigative team to assist the probe. This is the first incident of cooperation as such in the entire history of both the countries who are arch rivals with respective nuclear arsenals targeted at each other after having fought three all out wars. This small beginning is a big historical leap forward in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan which is marked by violence and tragedy thus far.

To top it off, the Pakistani government after a joint session of political and military leadership announced the policy decision to take action against all sort of non state actors using the Pakistani soil to launch terrorist activities against a foreign country. The emphasis is obviously on militant groups targeting India which is an unprecedented policy call by Pakistan with her security establishment fully on board.

 Pakistani policy gurus are realizing the changing global geopolitics and power dynamics where the future of global economy is based on business in Asia pacific. Pakistan after suffering immensely from the menace of terrorism and religious extremism for more then four decades now realizes the importance of building a fluid economy based on peace which would lead to prosperity for her masses. Pakistan with its humongous population needs to economically grow at the rate of 10% every year to sustain its young population which includes over 100 million youth under the age of twenty five years. All these Pakistanis need education, jobs and livelihood, which can only be provided through a vibrant economy. Failing in this task is simply not an option for Pakistan who needs to fully realize and en cash her Geo strategic potential in the current and near future of global economy essentially based on the Asian pacific region.

While the future looks bright for Pakistan with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) and related infrastructure investments in the Pakistani economy, the whole project may never realize its optimum potential without the mega economies of India and Iran on board. It is the ardent wish of the Chinese leadership to link the CPEC with the Indian market and in time also with the Iran. Only a stable and peaceful India-Pakistan bilateral relationship can ensure the stated Chinese endeavor to take effect. Success of the recent strategic business deals like TAPI (Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) gas pipelines and the Indian desire to be granted road access to Afghanistan via Pakistan all hinges upon the establishment of durable peace between India and Pakistan.

Non state actors, both in India and Pakistan who have thrived over decades profiting from the traditional animosity between India and Pakistan views any peaceful development between both these countries as detrimental to their existence and profiteering based on politics of hate which sells easily in both the countries. Both Indian and Pakistani States have invested huge amount of finances in proxy wars against each other which is the principal source of funding and profiteering of these non state actors. Militant mercenary groups like Taliban for example and various splinter groups as such operating on the Afghan soil takes money from both sides to carry out subversive activities against the other side in this proxy play of power. It is not in the interest of such criminal terrorist outfits to allow any substantial peace accord to take place between India and Pakistan. The old school powerful intelligence spooks and their lackeys also find such a situation where India and Pakistan are working together in Afghanistan and the region for peace and prosperity, too hard to digest. They are the medium through which the humongous amount of subversive proxy war money is distributed to the mercenary outfits with considerable cuts for themselves.

Policy decision by the top Pakistani security and political establishment calls upon the Indian counterparts to respond positively by plugging the rat holes through which the self styled hate mongers are profiteering from the policy of hate and proxy wars between the nuclear armed neighborhood. An expected positive response by India would usher both India and Pakistan into a new era of bilateral cooperation where all issues of mutual distrust may be addressed one step at a time. The ultimate beneficiaries of such an enterprise would be the general public of India and Pakistan with far reaching positive impact for the entire region. The forces opposed to such a progress are powerful and vicious but holds no ground against the joint resolve if established between India and Pakistan to counter them.

The global community including the west led by the USA would welcome any and all such endeavors towards Indo-Pak peace which essentially eases the tensions in the most alarming global nuclear flash point. Although there are miles to go before any substantial outcome regards the durable peace between India and Pakistan, a start in the rite direction is what the Pakistani side has embarked upon. The ball lies in the Indian court now and Pakistan expects a positive response while constructing upon a solid resolve at her end to take upon all opposition which may stand against peace which would lead to prosperity of all Pakistanis. Resolution of all outstanding disputes with one step at a time starting with the most alarming issue of terrorism is the call from Pakistan in response to Indian desire as such.... Its the turn of India to respond, and that response would decide the future course of action....signing off, fingers crossed.