Former Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria has hoped that talks with Pakistan would resume after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins a third term as the incumbent government was purportedly backed by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
“Pakistan is no priority for India and vice versa as the former has other issues including Afghanistan. There was a positive constructive way to move forward in 2014-15 when Modi came to power,” he said in an interview with Spot Light with Munizae Jahangir aired on Aaj News on Tuesday.
“Now this [Pakistani government has an influence of Nawaz and I hope if Modi comes to power we will move forward,” he said.
Bisaria had joined the show from New Delhi through a video link. He was the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan from December 2017 to February 12, 2020. He recently wrote a book titled Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan.
He was of the view that talks can be held on all issues. “You don’t need grandstanding. I think the first step should be we should exchange high commissioners our senior diplomats should visit countries and see those ways by which we can move forward.”
The former envoy added that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s recent statement about resumption of trade with India was “good”, however, timing was not correct as India was heading to elections.
India wanted assurances from Pakistan on terrorism and Pakistan sought talks on Kashmir, he said and added that doors for talks were not closed between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“I think doors are not closed and discussions are held on resuming trade,” he said and cited positive developments followed by Nawaz and Modi meeting when the latter came to power.
“Every kind of diplomacy continues and both sides have experience that when we want to talk we can. So Track 2 is going on and I know some Track 2 channels that are open but apart from that there are some quiet channels in Pakistan and India,” Bisaria said and cited that four years ago diplomats managed to end the ceasefire.
According to Bisaria, Dar’s statement had three perspectives. Firstly, it was important to have trade with India, however, there mixed “signals” to it. Secondly, it has to be ascertained whether “the prime minister, the government, and the army was on board or not.”
