In the run-up to the May 11 general election in Pakistan, all major political parties of that country have vowed in their respective election manifestos to improve relations with India. Heartening as this may be for India, the fact is that these promises are bound to ring hollow.
The primary reason for this is that the Pakistani political establishment is simply not in-charge of foreign policy, and more so when it involves matters of national security, both of which are the preserve of the military. In other words, no promise of peace from Pakistan towards India is valid unless the all-powerful Pakistani Army stands as guarantor. The manner in which relations between the two countries have evolved over the past six decades is proof enough of that. Take for instance, the case of Pakistan Muslim league (Nawaz).
The party, which is expected to secure the maximum number of seats in the upcoming election, has promised to establish cordial and cooperative ties with India through peaceful negotiations as well as make special efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue. It has also said that it will provide India direct access to Afghanistan as well as Central Asia. Both these assurances mark a significant turnaround in Pakistan's foreign policy which, if implemented, could boost New Delhi's energy security plans.
However, let us not forget that the man who heads PMl(N) and is being touted as the front-runner for the post of Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif, has already been at the helm in Pakistan twice, and neither of his terms has been marked by any betterment in bilateral ties with India. In fact, towards the close of his second term in 1999, even as he talked peace with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in lahore, his Army chief was busy plotting the Kargil conflict.
Much the same can be said of the Pakistan Peoples Party. led by President Asif Ali Zardari, the party today claims much of the credit for the supposed ‘normalisation' of ties between India and Pakistan; yet, it was only weeks after his regime took charge that terrorists based in that country engineered the Mumbai carnage of 2008. Moreover, in the years since then the PPP-led Government has done next to nothing to bring to justice those who laid siege to India, much to New Delhi's chagrin. And this is without even taking into consideration the PPP's legacy under its founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir — between the two of them alone, the party ruled Pakistan for four terms. And finally, there is the case of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The youngest party on the block, PTI has promised a “progressive detente with India” and has also said that it will “move substantively on the bilateral strategic dialogue”. Again, this may sound hopeful, but the fact is that PTI chief Imran Khan, who is also said to have the military’s backing, has been openly supping with the devil; most recently, he was seen sharing the stage with Hafiz Saeed known for his venomous anti-India speeches.
