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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit might have been the official reason, but S Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan, the first by any Indian minister in a decade, is being seen as the first step towards sending out a positive signal for a possible thaw in ties.
Even though India rejected rumours of bilateral talks and a “pull aside”, the optics of Jaishankar agreeing to visit Pakistan amid tensions with Canada and a shaking of hands and having a brief conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif indicated a possible opening of a window of opportunity for further engagement.
In fact, the moment the External Affairs Minister landed in Islamabad, Jaishankar became one of the top trends on X. A video of Jaishankar changing to his sunglasses went viral quickly, with many netizens calling him the “boss” and “real hero”.
Jaishankar being welcomed upon his arrival in Islamabad (PTI)
During the informal dinner hosted by Sharif, Jaishankar was seen shaking hands and having a brief conversation with the Prime Minister that went on for several seconds.
However, the External Affairs Minister was his usual combative self during his address at the SCO conclave. Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar said the “three evils” of terrorism, extremism and separatism were unlikely to encourage trade, energy flows and connectivity.
Before signing off, he had an important message for Pakistan. “If trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate, if friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address,” Jaishankar said.
As Jaishankar departed for India after the summit, he thanked Shehbaz Sharif and his counterpart Ishaq Dar in a post on X for their hospitality and courtesies.
“Thank you for your kind message and participation,” Dar said in response. That Jaishankar’s visit went off without a hitch was also seen as a positive development by experts.
Despite India repeatedly saying that the visit should be seen through the lens of the Shanghai summit, it comes at a time when several events in the world of cricket and arts involving the two nations are unfolding.
The Bollywood comeback of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan after eight years signals an easing of a ban on Pakistani artistes working in the Indian film industry after the 2016 Uri attack.
Despite the release of Fawad Khan’s recent film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ being stalled at the last moment, the actor has been roped for a romantic comedy titled Abir Gulaal. The film, directed by Aarti S Bagdi, will see Khan sharing screen space with actor Vaani Kapoor.
However, the biggest issue that has hogged the limelight in recent months is the ICC Champions Trophy being hosted by Pakistan in February. The Indian cricket board has left the decision on whether to travel to Pakistan with the Narendra Modi government.
While India has hinted at a hybrid model, whereby its matches could be relocated to either Sri Lanka or Dubai, Pakistan has dug its heels in and wants the entirety of the tournament to be played in the host nation.
India has not travelled to Pakistan for bilateral cricket matches since 2008 following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and have clashed only at ICC tournaments. With Jaishankar’s visit opening a window of opportunity for a possible ease in ties, it remains to be seen if India crosses the border for the Champions Trophy.
All eyes will also be on the COP29 in Azerbaijan next month, which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif.
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