Talks with India are only possible if New Delhi restores the special status of Kashmir, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said, claiming there is currently “no relationship” between the two countries. The remark came amid speculations about backchannel talks between the two countries. 

“There is no relationship right now, and at the moment...there is just a stalemate,” Khan said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro where he termed the Kashmir issue the “main difference” between the two countries.  

India in August 2019 scrapped the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories—a move, Khan claimed, has increased Pakistan’s security concerns with India. 

Islamabad responded to the move by downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending what was left of trade relations. Since then, no visible progress—except a joint statement by the militaries of two countries in February 2021 on upholding ceasefire understanding along the Line of Control (LOC)—has been made on improving ties.

“Yes, go back to August 5, 2019, and yes, we can talk after that,” Khan said in the interview when asked about the resumption of ties.  “They have to...restore the status of Kashmir because that’s a violation of international law,” he added.

Seemingly marginalized by Washington after the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, Khan’s government has found itself struggling to influence the West’s policy approach on Afghanistan and Kashmir. 

This is his second interview in a week's time with an international media house. Reports suggest he may give at least a dozen more interviews to Western media, in his attempt to influence the narrative. 

Importantly, Khan’s remark on ties with India is also significant as it came a month after Pakistan adopted a new Comprehensive National Policy Document, which though avoiding an openly confrontationist stance on India, spoke of the possibility of resuming trade and business ties. [Read More]

Earlier in March 2021, Pakistan had tried, though unsuccessfully, to resume limited business ties, by allowing the export of sugar. However, Prime Minister Khan was forced to roll back the initiative after he faced fierce resistance from his own cabinet colleagues.

The desire to resume business relations, even with a limited scope, has been growing among a section of the country’s key stakeholders, including the powerful military. Significantly, the Pakistan military has had a dominant role in drafting the new national security plan, which has suggested a similar line of action. 

Considering the situation back home, when Khan’s government appears struggling politically, the possibility of making any overt overture to New Delhi is extremely unlikely. On the other hand, in India, meeting Pakistan’s pre-conditions on the Kashmir issue for talks is practically impossible for any government. 

(SAM)