Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to hold talks with India comes at a time when Pakistan is facing the dual bite of economic crisis and a wave of terror fuelled by the Pakistan Taliban, aka, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
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“We are prepared to talk with everyone, even with our neighbour, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk about serious matters on the table because war is no more an option,” Shehbaz Sharif was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The comments were made during the Pakistan Minerals Summit in Islamabad. It was organised under the slogan of ‘Dust to Development’, aimed at bringing foreign investment to the cash-strapped country, PTI said in its report.
People familiar with the developments told News18 that Pakistan has released similar statements before in order to please the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other global lenders.
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“Merely talks won’t help, if they want to improve relations, they will have to ensure action on borders. If they want to improve relations, initiative has to be taken by them,” the people mentioned above said.
They highlighted that cross-border infiltration and smuggling of drugs in going on unabated and also pointed to Pakistani officials admitting that drugs are being smuggled from Pakistan into India.
An aide of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and who is also a member of the provincial assembly told a renowned Pakistan journalist that drugs are being smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan using drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
Pakistan is fighting an economic crisis and continues to evade the prospects of a debt default.
Pakistan is also aware of the sway India has on global issues and how New Delhi has not only emerged as a leader of the Global South but also as a nation that respects rules-based international order and proponent of changes in multilateral forums.
Islamabad is also well aware of the efforts India and its allies like Japan and France made to help Sri Lanka over the past few months to help Colombo, which is also mired in a similar economic crisis.
The people mentioned above said that Sharif’s statement is a bid to impress the international community and build their global image. They also said mere lip service will not help rebuild strained ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.
(with inputs from Shalinder Wangu)
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