Days after Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa hinted at a possibility of engagement with India, the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday expressed willingness to engage with India on the Kashmir issue while at the same time putting the onus on India to “create enabling environment” for dialogue.

Taking to Twitter, Khan said, “If India demonstrates sincerity in seeking a just solution to the Kashmir issue, in accordance with UNSC resolution, we are ready to take two steps forward for peace.” Further in his tweet, he put a caveat, saying “desire of stability and peace” should not be taken as a “sign of weakness.”  

Earlier this week, Pakistan Army chief Bajwa also expressed similar sentiments at a graduation ceremony of Pakistan Air Force Academy. He said, “It is time to extend (the) hand of peace in all directions.”

Referring to the Kashmir issue as the “human tragedy”, Bajwa called for the resolution of the issue in “a dignified and peaceful manner” in line with the aspiration of the Kashmiri people.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs responded to the Bajwa’s remark, saying the onus lies on Pakistan to create such an environment (for dialogue). A day after that, Pakistan’s foreign ministry put that onus on India for “meaningful engagement”.

Imran Khan’s Friday tweet on Kashmir was unusual in the sense that it missed Khan’s usual reference to the international community to pressurize India. He, however, didn’t miss extolling the Kashmiri people’s struggle for, what he called, their “legitimate right to self-determination”.

Significantly, the change of tone on possible direct bilateral engagements comes after a gap of almost two years, especially after India’s Balakot air strikes deep inside Pakistan. Further, the already strained relations hit rock bottom when India in August 2019 revoked Article 370 of its Constitution, thus ending the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and  Kashmir. India bifurcated the state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.