India Should Put Pakistan Peace Talks in Cold Storage

When you deal with an adversary, first you should learn his mindset and objectives and then his strengths and weaknesses. You do not think in terms of justice because what is just to you is not necessarily just to the other party. You negotiate giving higher priority to your own objectives than his. When you make a concession, make sure that the adversary pays an appropriate price. If you give away something for nothing, he will assume that it is worth nothing and will demand more. Make him earn it while staying within the framework of your own objectives. Indian polity forgot these lessons while dealing with Pakistan and India is paying a heavy price for nurturing Pakistani bad behavior. In every war with Pakistan the Indian military gained strategic ground only to be given away by the politicians in Delhi for nothing in return.

Pakistan is an Islamic state by design and not by accident. Islam is in the consciousness of every Pakistani, whether soldier, mullah, trader or a taxi driver. Over the last sixty years the Pakistani consensus has been to become more Islamic, whatever that may be, in social, political, economic and judicial spheres. As it is the case in other Muslim majority countries, Islam is simultaneously a religious and a political force in Pakistan. Like other Islamic populations, Pakistanis have found it difficult to establish or retain a modern state. Due to Pakistani intolerance to dissent the Ahmadiyyas are classified as second class citizens. They have indulged to fabricate a delusional history to deny anything good in Indian subcontinent until the arrival of Islam and passing it to successive generations.

Majority of Muslims in colonial India did not participate in the Independence Struggle. The fanatic ones argued that, if they could not rule over Hindus, then they had to be shielded from Hindu influence, not by becoming a separate but equal society, but a separate nation altogether. Even after the creation of Pakistan they have not reconciled to the idea of major chunk of territory that was under Mughal rule functioning under a secular political system.

Pakistan is a nation of several ethnic groups (Punjabis, Sindhis, Baluchis and Pashtuns) broken into several linguistic groups and religious sects, each with conflicting ideals and separatist tendencies. But they are ruled by an uncompromising central authority. The nation is constantly trying to solve the puzzle reconciling the differences in permutations of state, religion and a dysfunctional oligarchic political order. A solution that will lead the country to be a modern peaceful society is not likely to emerge in the near future. The educational system is so dismal that the masses of youth completing their studies in madrassas do not have the skills to be competitive in the modern global economy. The Military Staff colleges offer their students stereotyped theories of Indian motives and strategy. The cantonments are thick with reminders of past battles and fallen comrades and every year the units muster for regimental and unit memorial ceremonies, each officer being reminded that he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice against imagined aggression by India. Any civilian government that takes a bold step in new direction especially in foreign policy must have army’s consent, or it will be dismissed from the office. Therefore, it is unlikely that any civilian government that reaches a peace agreement with India will be able to gain its approval from its own society or military.

Anyone who believes that a resolution to Kashmir issue will bring peace between the two countries is only day-dreaming. Even if there is a settlement on Kashmir issue favorably disposed to Pakistani side, we cannot expect peace. In the Pakistani psyche the claim extends to the entire land where Aurangazeb ruled and Kashmir is only a placeholder to keep the issue alive. It is the superiority of the Indian military forces that has kept the Pakistani military adventurers outside India's borders. Now they have resorted to terrorism against civilian population. We should remember that Nehru signed the Indus water treaty in 1960 giving away the waters of all the rivers except Sutlej, but within a short period Pakistan sent its army into Rann of Kutch and Kashmir resulting in the war of '65.

Priority for the Indian political establishment is to protect its borders, state and citizens. Economically, diplomatically and militarily India is in a better position and there is no need to push for unproductive peace overtures that go nowhere. Further, the political machinery in Pakistan is highly unstable and durability of any agreement is doubtful. We need to keep our own national security as the top objective and put the peace negotiations in cold storage until the time when Pakistanis realize that they cannot reach a secure nationhood until they cast realism in their national objectives. If and when such realization materializes they will approach India in their own interest to normalize the relationship