Four points to peace

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did something unexpected at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York – he extended an olive branch of peace to India. A welcome break from the usual verbal shots fired at them year after year.
Over the past two years there have been a number of skirmishes between the Pakistani and Indian armed forces along the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary in Kashmir. According to several media reports, both sides have lost dozens of soldiers, and as many as 87 civilians have died in cross-border firings since 2014.
In the last month alone, in addition to the death of two soldiers, five Pakistani civilians were killed in Indian firing; the youngest victim, a girl named Laiba from the Nakial sector of Azad Kashmir, was only thirteen years old.
During his address, the prime minister recommended a four-point peace initiative to quell the rising tension and violence along the LoC and Working Boundary in Kashmir in hopes of normalising diplomatic ties and expanding economic cooperation with India.
Nawaz Sharif proposed: 1) Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding of a complete ceasefire in Kashmir and LoC; 2) Pakistan and India reaffirm that they will not resort to the threat of force under any circumstances; 3) Steps be taken to demilitarise Kashmir; and 4) Both countries agree to mutually withdraw troops from Siachen.
Though the speech was short, it had meaningful content, and could be considered one of Nawaz Sharif’s finest moments as a statesman.
There have been many solutions offered in the past in an effort to resolve the Kashmir issue, but this is possibly the first time that we as a country have signalled to India that we are willing to expand economic cooperation despite the ongoing conflict, as long as the violence along the LoC and Working Boundary comes to a complete stop.
We have finally taken a pragmatic approach to our relationship with India. We have finally realised that if we focus on cooperation instead of confrontation then perhaps one day we can also come to a solution on Kashmir, one that will give the people of Kashmir the right to determine their own future.
Nawaz Sharif’s offer of dialogue and cooperation is the current trend in international politics. As a Pakistani political analyst, it is refreshing to know that after 70 years we are finally showing some courage by offering to change the status quo.
It is not uncommon for a state to have normal relations with another even if there is a conflict. Take for example the recent negotiations between the United States and Iran. Although both countries have had issues with one another in the past, they were able to move forward. President Barack Obama even shook hands with the Iranian foreign minister at the UNGA.
India and China are another great example. Despite having gone to war in the past, both countries have investments worth billions of dollars in each other, and for the most part enjoy a peaceful relationship.
The prime minister’s offer does not mean that Kashmir will be put on the backburner; Kashmir remains a core issue, and we will continue to work towards a peaceful solution.
Nawaz Sharif has made his intentions very clear; the only hurdle that remains is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.
Instead of appreciating our offer of peace, and agreeing to start work with the four-point initiative, Prime Minister Modi had his Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj reject the extended olive branch.
Swaraj said that Pakistan must give up terrorism and only then would India talk. She made many claims against us while speaking at the UNGA, offering no evidence to back up what she was saying. By rejecting Nawaz Sharif’s overture of peace, she has killed any possibility of cooperation, and has chosen to continue with the policy of belligerence and confrontation – against the current international trend.
Prime Minister Modi must realise that we cannot continue living the way we have for the past 70 years. An opportunity for permanent peace has been offered, and Modi should take it. The four points recommended by Nawaz Sharif are easy to implement and do not call for huge compromises or sacrifices on either side. If the Indians take this peace initiative seriously, not only will we have economic cooperation but it will also automatically lead to security cooperation, alleviating false Indian fears that we are using terrorism as a “legitimate instrument of statecraft”.
It is time to stop playing games, and change the course of our future generations for the better. We are both nuclear states, which means that war is not an option for us. Let us move forward and abandon our plans for cold starts and hot wars. We both know what the other is capable of; it is time to stop comparing the size of our arsenals. Let us abandon the idea of all kinds of conflicts, and for once just focus on developing a relationship based on trust and mutual respect.
Peace and stability in Kashmir along with economic cooperation leading to cooperation in other areas, like security, will guarantee a financially healthy, prosperous and vibrant future for both countries.
The writer is an assistant professor at the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad. Twitter: @umarwrites