A positive step

Good news in the perennially tense Pakistan-India relationship is so rare that any sign of progress leads to optimism that may perhaps even be unwarranted. The politicians present at the groundbreaking of the Kartarpur corridor that will allow Sikh pilgrims visa-free travel from next year for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak certainly seemed to believe that this could be the start of a new era. Visiting Indian Food Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal compared the opening of the corridor to the fall of the Berlin Wall while Prime Minister Imran Khan called for an end to the last 70 years of hostility. Certainly, the opening of the corridor is a positive in and of itself. The Sikh community of India – and indeed the rest of the world – has a strong connection to many sites in Pakistan that are holy to their religion. Regardless of the state of ties with India, we should be taking every possible step to accommodate them and the current government is to be congratulated for following through on this initiative. Any opportunity for détente with India should be pursued. And, even if it does not materialise, that does not undo the positives of opening the Kartarpur corridor.

Unfortunately, all signs also point to the hardline Narendra Modi government refusing to grasp this opportunity for peace. Just two days before the groundbreaking ceremony, on the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai attacks, the Indian government said that the perpetrators of the attack still roam freely in Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj – who had turned down an invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony – has categorically ruled out any resumption of bilateral talks and said that PM Modi will not attend the upcoming Saarc summit in Islamabad.

India’s stated objection is that Pakistan is still involved in terrorism in Kashmir, an accusation for which it has not been able to provide any proof – and which is obviously an attempt to distract from its own appalling human rights record in the occupied territory. It used to be India which once said talks between the two countries should not be held hostage to the issue of Kashmir and yet it is now the Modi government that is doing exactly that. Prime Minister Imran Khan, through words and actions, has shown that he is ready to talk. The only problem is that there may be no one to talk to. One hopes that the good wishes carried by the Indians who had come for the corridor opening ceremony are also reflected when Delhi makes decisions on issues such as the Saarc Summit.