• Latest
  • Trending

Sharif-Jindal private pow pow in perspective

May 8, 2017
UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

September 22, 2023
Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

September 22, 2023
What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

Nipah virus: Message from Sri Lankan Health Authorities

September 22, 2023
Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

12 hour water cut in areas of Colombo

September 22, 2023
Google Maps

Google sued for negligence after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map directions

September 22, 2023
Fuel

Russia temporarily bans fuel exports to most countries in response to shortages

September 22, 2023
President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial meeting with President Joe Biden of the United States

President Ranil meets with US President Joe Biden in New York

September 22, 2023
US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

September 22, 2023
India and Sri Lanka sign contract for installing railway signalling system

India and Sri Lanka sign contract for installing railway signalling system

September 22, 2023
India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

September 21, 2023
What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

September 21, 2023
Minimum meal prices for residential guests at Colombo city hotels from October

Minimum meal prices for residential guests at Colombo city hotels from October

September 21, 2023
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, September 23, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

    Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    Nipah virus: Message from Sri Lankan Health Authorities

    Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

    12 hour water cut in areas of Colombo

    President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial meeting with President Joe Biden of the United States

    President Ranil meets with US President Joe Biden in New York

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    India and Sri Lanka sign contract for installing railway signalling system

    India and Sri Lanka sign contract for installing railway signalling system

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    Google Maps

    Google sued for negligence after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map directions

    Fuel

    Russia temporarily bans fuel exports to most countries in response to shortages

    President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial meeting with President Joe Biden of the United States

    President Ranil meets with US President Joe Biden in New York

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a gorgeous new and durable design, the Dynamic Island, a powerful 48MP Main camera, and A16 Bionic.

    iOS 17 release: See what’s new in iPhone features

    Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN/Getty

    Saudi Arabia is trying to disrupt soccer’s world order. The reasons why might surprise you

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Jawan is releasing on 4000 screens internationally. It is the widest release for an SRK centric film (Credit: Red Chillies Entertainment)

    This actor is so huge his fans lined up at 4.30 a.m. to watch his new movie

    Instagram. Solen Feyissa @solenfeyissa / Unsplash

    New report reveals highest earners from Instagram posts

    Barbie

    Lebanon bans ‘Barbie’ movie

    How I came to love ‘Oppenheimer’ and still detest the bomb

    How I came to love ‘Oppenheimer’ and still detest the bomb

    Rajnikanth

    Back Offices in Chennai, Bengaluru declare holiday on August 10 for Rajnikanth’s ‘Jailer’ movie premiere

    Taylor Swift

    Taylor Swift Seattle concert generates seismic activity

    Actors Emily Blunt (L), Cillian Murphy (centre) and Florence Pugh (R) at the premiere of Oppenheimer. Image credits - Getty Images.

    Hollywood actors announce historic strike

    Hugh Jackman dons classic Wolverine suit in Deadpool

    Hugh Jackman dons classic Wolverine suit in Deadpool 3 first look

    David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will star in the film, set to come out in 2025. Image credits - Getty Images

    Superman: Legacy finds its Superman and Lois Lane

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    The Upper House (Hong Kong): This beloved Hong Kong classic sits above Admiralty's Pacific Place and features 117 luxuriously-designed rooms. Courtesy Upper House Hong Kong

    World’s 50 best hotels for 2023 revealed

    Indian government’s decision to delay the census raises suspicions, says Lancet

    Indian government’s decision to delay the census raises suspicions, says Lancet

    This airline wants you to travel without clothes

    This airline wants you to travel without clothes

    Sleep. Image credits - Priscilla Du Preez @priscilladupreez / Unsplash

    Diabetes risk increased by 19% due to one common sleeping habit, study finds

    Barcelona. Image credits - Logan Armstrong loganstrongarms

    The best ‘workcation’ cities for remote and hybrid workers around the world

    Child. Image credits - Ippei Naoi | Getty

    Netherlands, home to the world’s happiest kids—6 things parents here never do

    The roots of Chandrayaan 3’s success   

    The roots of Chandrayaan 3’s success   

    Work

    Five of the best countries for expats in 2023

    Sugar. Image credits - Myriam Zilles myriamzilles / Unsplash

    How hunger can warp our minds

    Airline / Flight

    Have airlines gone too far with their extra fees?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a gorgeous new and durable design, the Dynamic Island, a powerful 48MP Main camera, and A16 Bionic.

    iOS 17 release: See what’s new in iPhone features

    How to erase everything that Google and Facebook know about you

    How to erase everything that Google and Facebook know about you

    Apple

    France orders Apple to halt iPhone 12 sales

    iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a gorgeous new and durable design, the Dynamic Island, a powerful 48MP Main camera, and A16 Bionic.

    Apple debuts iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

    Apple will host its iPhone 15 launch event called “Wanderlust” in California CREDIT: APPLE INC HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

    iPhone 15 launch (Live)

    Google Keyboard

    Google to introduce AI-driven ‘Proofread’ feature in Gboard Keyboard

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

    Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    Nipah virus: Message from Sri Lankan Health Authorities

    Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

    12 hour water cut in areas of Colombo

    President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial meeting with President Joe Biden of the United States

    President Ranil meets with US President Joe Biden in New York

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    India and Sri Lanka sign contract for installing railway signalling system

    India and Sri Lanka sign contract for installing railway signalling system

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

    Google Maps

    Google sued for negligence after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map directions

    Fuel

    Russia temporarily bans fuel exports to most countries in response to shortages

    President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial meeting with President Joe Biden of the United States

    President Ranil meets with US President Joe Biden in New York

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    India suspends visas for Canadian nationals

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India

    iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a gorgeous new and durable design, the Dynamic Island, a powerful 48MP Main camera, and A16 Bionic.

    iOS 17 release: See what’s new in iPhone features

    Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN/Getty

    Saudi Arabia is trying to disrupt soccer’s world order. The reasons why might surprise you

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Jawan is releasing on 4000 screens internationally. It is the widest release for an SRK centric film (Credit: Red Chillies Entertainment)

    This actor is so huge his fans lined up at 4.30 a.m. to watch his new movie

    Instagram. Solen Feyissa @solenfeyissa / Unsplash

    New report reveals highest earners from Instagram posts

    Barbie

    Lebanon bans ‘Barbie’ movie

    How I came to love ‘Oppenheimer’ and still detest the bomb

    How I came to love ‘Oppenheimer’ and still detest the bomb

    Rajnikanth

    Back Offices in Chennai, Bengaluru declare holiday on August 10 for Rajnikanth’s ‘Jailer’ movie premiere

    Taylor Swift

    Taylor Swift Seattle concert generates seismic activity

    Actors Emily Blunt (L), Cillian Murphy (centre) and Florence Pugh (R) at the premiere of Oppenheimer. Image credits - Getty Images.

    Hollywood actors announce historic strike

    Hugh Jackman dons classic Wolverine suit in Deadpool

    Hugh Jackman dons classic Wolverine suit in Deadpool 3 first look

    David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will star in the film, set to come out in 2025. Image credits - Getty Images

    Superman: Legacy finds its Superman and Lois Lane

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    The Upper House (Hong Kong): This beloved Hong Kong classic sits above Admiralty's Pacific Place and features 117 luxuriously-designed rooms. Courtesy Upper House Hong Kong

    World’s 50 best hotels for 2023 revealed

    Indian government’s decision to delay the census raises suspicions, says Lancet

    Indian government’s decision to delay the census raises suspicions, says Lancet

    This airline wants you to travel without clothes

    This airline wants you to travel without clothes

    Sleep. Image credits - Priscilla Du Preez @priscilladupreez / Unsplash

    Diabetes risk increased by 19% due to one common sleeping habit, study finds

    Barcelona. Image credits - Logan Armstrong loganstrongarms

    The best ‘workcation’ cities for remote and hybrid workers around the world

    Child. Image credits - Ippei Naoi | Getty

    Netherlands, home to the world’s happiest kids—6 things parents here never do

    The roots of Chandrayaan 3’s success   

    The roots of Chandrayaan 3’s success   

    Work

    Five of the best countries for expats in 2023

    Sugar. Image credits - Myriam Zilles myriamzilles / Unsplash

    How hunger can warp our minds

    Airline / Flight

    Have airlines gone too far with their extra fees?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a gorgeous new and durable design, the Dynamic Island, a powerful 48MP Main camera, and A16 Bionic.

    iOS 17 release: See what’s new in iPhone features

    How to erase everything that Google and Facebook know about you

    How to erase everything that Google and Facebook know about you

    Apple

    France orders Apple to halt iPhone 12 sales

    iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a gorgeous new and durable design, the Dynamic Island, a powerful 48MP Main camera, and A16 Bionic.

    Apple debuts iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

    Apple will host its iPhone 15 launch event called “Wanderlust” in California CREDIT: APPLE INC HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

    iPhone 15 launch (Live)

    Google Keyboard

    Google to introduce AI-driven ‘Proofread’ feature in Gboard Keyboard

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around South Asia

Sharif-Jindal private pow pow in perspective

Editor by Editor
May 8, 2017
in Around South Asia, India, Pakistan, Top Story
Reading Time: 5 mins read
3 0
A A
28
SHARES
Share on WhatsApp

By Sherry Rehman/Express Tribune

Starting from the premise that constructive dialogue is the first step towards untangling a history of vexed relations between two nuclear neighbours, every government that has made any headway on this track has done so by first working the base at home, its politics and its message. There can be no dispute about the need for peace in the region, nor should there be any brakes on the institutional search for pathways, government or non-official, that foster sustained talks between Pakistan and India.

The recent furore in parliament about the Jindal-Sharif meeting is a case in point of poor tactics, or how not to talk. First, this case will bog down the public conversation in issues that help no government in its search for rational space between Delhi and Islamabad. Second, with due apologies to all involved, it ignores the legitimacy of the messenger. There is no dispute about the salience of diplomacy as a quiet craft that needs the space to air ideas and test limits. In fact, the state of play between India and Pakistan desperately requires a credible back channel. Because back-channel diplomacy is often used profitably by governments in taking forward complex possibilities before they are brought on board for a public push, it is important they are conducted with credibility on both sides. If not, they land the process in flames.

ADVERTISEMENT

Both Pakistan and India have used back-channel interlocutors in the past, but both have been institutionally appointed savants, such as Satish Lambah and Shehryar Khan, with long years of Foreign Office experience behind them, and the trust of their policy establishments. This is not to be confused with track-two diplomacy, used principally to engage between two or three countries for building confidence, exploring options, and creating knowledge about each other in stressful times. In an optimal climate, such dialogues even become invaluable in creating important constituencies for peace.

Yet even for this process which many of us invest time in, we try to keep major political parties in the loop, so that strategic conversations and the exploration of do-able options are not conducted in some policy air-lock away from public stakeholders.

When members of parliament read about a Pakistan government’s intent from Indian journalists who write about Jindal and his role as a back channel between India and Pakistan, why do we signal disquiet over this? Because back channels are useful only when the government employing them appoints one from each side, not a private business friend who obviously owes more loyalty to his country of nationality. Rumours about Jindal’s role in scuttling ripe transit-trade talks before Modi was elected don’t add comfort to the process.

Those who ignore the politics of talks with India dismiss democracy as a gratuitous parlour game. They dismiss grassroots political parties in Azad Kashmir, as did Musharraf, and they ignore the importance of institutional process, as well as its public message. They make the same mistake Sharif is making on disregarding the power of building consensus, let alone looping in its beleaguered Foreign Office. This puts not only good intent at risk, but also strategic outcomes. Such serial mis-handling is made even more poignant because while nay-sayers will say no, locking the mainstream political buy-in for talks, certainly from Pakistan is not impossible.

As a member of the leading opposition party in parliament, the PPP, I recall spurring Nawaz Sharif to accept Modi’s invitation to his inaugural on Twitter. This was no random personal statement. It was the outcome of a discussion within the party leadership about the opportunities that we hoped had arisen from a change of government in New Delhi. But most of us who consistently favour negotiations over hard stalemates were disappointed by the rush away from reason in New Delhi when all acts of terror in India were laid at Pakistan’s door.

Jindal’s family with Nawaz Sharif. Sajjan Jindal is standing at extreme right.

Meanwhile, the government did Pakistan no favours by betting on silence as a tactic. When for the Pathankot attack, for instance, the Indian NIA quietly cleared Pakistan of involvement, there was silence. Explaining Pakistan, or its non-complicity in terror, was the job of Pakistan’s foreign minister, who of course did not exist except in the PM’s overstretched portfolio. But instead of advancing Pakistan’s case, and setting terms for a sustained dialogue, we saw silence.

In another layer of historical context, when Narendra Modi, swooped into the Sharif estate in Raiwind, none of us called Nawaz Sharif a traitor because we felt an elected PM must be given the confidence he deserves. Perhaps he was quietly building a foundation for sustained dialogue in private huddles with key officials, we said. But the encounter did nothing but burnish Modi’s credentials abroad, while our Foreign Office had to shrug off the much-hyped encounter as private.

In a polarised political climate where civil-military relations are already strained, and where a special assistant on foreign affairs has been made the scapegoat along with others for a PM House that functions only by close cabal, consistent non-transparency only adds to tensions and questions. For those of us who don’t subscribe to the conspiracy-theory school of politics, the issue is not that the Jindal meeting was setting the stage for another high-level one in June. There is no cavil about talks with India, in fact quite the opposite. The issue is its public message of high-level insider-opacity. If Jindal had an important message for a potential Astana sideline, he should have met Sartaj Aziz quietly. That may have been a real back channel, not publicly at PM House in Islamabad. If Modi was serious, he could have urged his NSA to start talking to our’s, plan for the worst, and leverage for the best.

So let’s not embed the optics of a Jindal-type meeting in a conversation about the importance of India-Pakistan talks. Those must go on or resume at all levels, but India too has to signal that formally. Given recent events, the summer is likely to see more human rights abuses in Kashmir after local polls in which only seven per cent of Kashmiris turned out to vote, a low not seen in 27 years. In this vitiated climate, it would be unwise to burden a potential Nawaz-Modi meeting either in Astana or in New York, with the unrealistic expectations of a dramatic reset. In public view, Modi’s government has become hostage to its own hardline rhetoric to talk on any terms but its own, so the PM might use his time better at home explaining what kind of case he will make for Pakistan abroad after skipping the Kalbhushan word at the last UNGA.

The peril of ignoring strategic context, politics or tactics is obvious. History has taught us that the substance of talks with India is as important as the optics — the way they are seen to be held, and by whom. In the end, there are three ways official talks with India will never sustain. One, when they are done under public pressure to link all talks to impossible pre-conditions. Two, the Musharraf way, in which creative solutions on Kashmir are conducted so ineptly in total lockdown that they backfire on the ground when publicly floated. Three, today the Nawaz Sharif way, all on his own, losing the mainstream political consensus for peace with India by studiously ignoring its politics in Pakistan.

Not only do such talks end in tears, but more importantly, they reverse crucial gains made earlier.

(The  featured picture at the top shows Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Peoples’ Party  leader former Ambassador to the US)

Related Posts

UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India
Governance

UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has told the USCIRF about alarming erosion of minority rights in India

September 22, 2023
Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka
Around South Asia

Fixtures announced for ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka

September 22, 2023
What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India
Around South Asia

Nipah virus: Message from Sri Lankan Health Authorities

September 22, 2023
Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash
Around South Asia

12 hour water cut in areas of Colombo

September 22, 2023
President Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged in a cordial meeting with President Joe Biden of the United States
Around The World

President Ranil meets with US President Joe Biden in New York

September 22, 2023
US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift
Communities

US mediation alone can end India-Canada rift

September 22, 2023
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: Uninterrupted power supply

    60406 shares
    Share 24185 Tweet 15092
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6647 shares
    Share 2696 Tweet 1646
  • Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    2095 shares
    Share 845 Tweet 521
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    791 shares
    Share 329 Tweet 193
  • 12 hour water cut in areas of Colombo

    801 shares
    Share 342 Tweet 191
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- mersin escort - Antalya korsan taksi -
ip booter
-
deneme bonusu
- deneme bonusu veren siteler - Kiralık bahis sitesi