The invitation sent to China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari shows India’s desire to improve relations with two neighbours with whom it has had tense exchanges recently. Only a few days after Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar accurately labelled Pakistan as the epicentre of terrorism, Zardari made disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the UN Security Council meeting. India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded angrily, calling Zardari’s remarks a uncivilised outburst and a new low for Pakistan.
Video Courtesy: News 18
India made a wise diplomatic choice to invite Zardari notwithstanding his offensive comments. The onus is now firmly on Islamabad as a result of New Delhi’s actions. Pakistan must choose whether to send Zardari or another representative to the SCO summit. Over the previous ten years, no Pakistani Foreign Minister has travelled to India; Hina Rabbani Khar was the last to do so in 2011. India has invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to the meeting of Chief Justices of SCO states, which is scheduled for March, as another example of its accommodative stance.Pakistan’s reversals stand in stark contrast to India’s sincere overtures.
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, recently offered to resume discussions if Article 370 in J&K was reinstated. India has repeatedly said it will not engage in conversation until Pakistan stops funding cross-border terrorism and stops interfering in its internal affairs, therefore this precondition is unacceptable to them. The relationship between New Delhi and Beijing is also plagued by a lack of trust. ‘Both sides are willing to relieve the situation and jointly protect peace along their borders,’ recently declared China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang. China has been hesitant to walk the talk, but India has continued to maintain an open channel of contact despite this. The invitations from the SCO align with India’s pragmatic approach to international policy.
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