Arun Joshi
Pakistan has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to for the summit meeting of the heads of state and government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO) scheduled to be held in mid-October in Islamabad but a big question has cropped up with it whether the visit would materialize given the frozen relationship between the two countries. For Pakistan if Modi visits the host country , it would be a big diplomatic success beyond the regional summit as it would help it make its image makeover . It is the Indian Prime Minister who can do so for Pakistan as no other country in the grouping or outside of it can do so. That’s why Pakistan is keen that Modi should visit Pakistan even if it is for the SCO summit , a wider track from the bilateral one.
The invite has been sent by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Modi to attend the SCO summit in Islamabad on October-15 and 16. The SCO is dedicated to the political and security of the member countries , which includes Russia and China and number of Central Asian countries . It is the region where India is playing a significant role by way of its economic and diplomatic reach despite its standoff with China in eastern Ladakh and very cold relationship with Pakistan . While India is having trade ties with China, it is having zero trade relation with Pakistan.
Whether Modi will go to Pakistan or not is a big question, as the summit is being hosted in a country that India accuses of exporting and promoting cross-border terrorism. Pakistan has not lowered its hostile actions against India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir where it has unleashed a fresh wave of acts of terror in Jammu region as the Union Territory is headed toward first-ever Assembly elections in the past 10 years.
Equally important is the question , can PM Modi who has emerged as global leader offering his services in resolving conflicts dotting the world stage , skip the regional grouping’s summit? He had made an epoch-making visit to the conflict-ridden Ukraine last week, where he itched for peace and offered to play a role of mediator to bring about peace between Russia and Ukraine – the two countries have been at war for the past over two and half years . The conflict has rattled the world , and leaders in many countries are looking up to Indian Prime Minister to play his role in ending the war as he has good ties with both the countries involved in the war. Last month , Modi had been to Russia , where he counselled president Vladmir Putin to take steps to end the war, as this is not an “ era of war.”
This is a diplomatic challenge for India . Modi cannot visit a country that vows to bleed Kashmir by camouflaging its terror campaign as an expression of “ diplomatic , political and moral support, to the people of Kashmir to help them achieve their right to self-determination .” It would amount to granting a concession to Pakistan , the epicenter of terrorism in the region and that has been particularly active in executing its terror- driven agenda in Jammu and Kashmir , an integral part of India . But, at the international stage, it is also worthwhile for Modi not to ignore a regional grouping in which it is playing a key role along with other prominent countries, including Russia.
SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It has since expanded to include India, Pakistan, and Iran as full members, with Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia as observers. India had hosted the SCO meetings last year and the summit meeting was held in virtual mode . The same experiment can be repeated this year too for the convenience of the heads of the state and government of the member countries. But so far there has been no indication.
Pakistan would be more than keen to have Modi in Islamabad as it would give it a lot of credibility as it is the Indian Prime Minister who holds the key to lending such a credibility to the host country . There are multiple factors which make Modi the most important leader in the SCO, and especially for Pakistan that has been desperate to normalize its ties. Pakistan is under pressure from its business community to resume the trade with India. There are former diplomats and others who believe that India alone can lend Pakistan a framework of stability in these turbulent times which no other country and the leader can do – neither America, China nor Russia.
Modi will have to view all these challenges with all the strategic considerations.
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
