Pakistan PM Imran Khan would have set the pigeons aflutter at South Block by his offer for talks with PM Modi. More crucial for India's stance of “terror and talks cannot go together”, Imran conceded that it was not in Pakistan's interests to allow the use of its territory for terror activities in other countries. “The mindset of the people has changed,” he tried to convince skeptical Indian journalists. The ball is now in India’s court after it treated Pakistan's earlier quest to utilise the Kartarpur corridor with suspicion as it sought a reset by glossing over past terror strikes in India that were incubated on its soil. Imran Khan’s call for amity and détente sounds more sincere with a reference to India’s bugbear — cross-border terrorism.

But there were adverse signals both from the presence of separatists at the ceremony and the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) announcing plans for a pro-Khalistan convention in Pakistan. Such provocations, even if of figurative importance, feed into the apprehensions of the Indian security establishment, rendering them reluctant partners in a peace initiative. While Imran has tried hard to cast Pakistan in global eyes as a harbinger of peace, his admission about terror launch pads in Pakistan goes only a small distance to address the angst of substantial political constituency here that perceives Pakistan as an exporter of terror.

The unanimity among all the major players in Pakistan on improving ties with India, as Imran claims, should be reflected in bringing to book the masterminds of the Mumbai, Uri and Pathankot attacks, the actual cause for the strain. The Sikh community's happiness over the development of the corridor cannot escape the overarching political context. The ease of passage of pilgrims to the shrine will always be an adjunct of the state of play in bilateral ties. Imran is playing for the long haul as is apparent from his readiness to wait for reciprocation till the general elections here are over. Besides bringing spiritual solace and fulfilment to lakhs of Sikhs, the corridor can well be a new path to peace.

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Courtesy: Tribune: 29th Nov, 2018