Jaishankar's warning on cross-border terror irks Pakistan; Imran govt back to J&K rhetoric

Irked by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's stern warning on cross-border terrorism, Pakistan put back the ball in India's court to create an "enabling environment" for dialogue. Interacting with ex-US National Security Advisor HR McMaster, Jaishankar had also nailed infiltration from Pakistan as a key reason for the LoC tensions. In a statement, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri disputed this and claimed that the revocation of Article 370 was against international law and peace. 

Indirectly justifying the terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, he stated that the "indigenous movement" against the Indian state would continue until a plebiscite is held there. According to him, peace and security in the region are threatened by the non-compliance of the UNSC resolutions. "Rather than regurgitating insinuations against Pakistan, India will be well advised to create enabling environment for a meaningful and result-oriented engagement for resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as well as any other issues," the spokesperson added. 

Jaishankar told HR McMaster, "What I can tell you at this point in time is that we had an agreement some weeks ago between the Director Generals of Military Operations that we will not fire at each other across the Line of Control which has seen a lot of that because mainly there has been infiltration from their side. The reason for not firing is very clear because the reason for the firing is infiltration. That's a good step. But I think there are obviously bigger issues. At the end of the day, the two neighbours have to find ways."

Pakistan's flip-flop on bilateral ties

During his maiden visit to Sri Lanka on February 24, Pakistan PM Imran Khan called for resolving differences with India via dialogue. Claiming that he had unsuccessfully attempted to diffuse tensions in the bilateral relationship after assuming power in 2018, he emphasised the need to improve trading ties with India. In a joint statement issued a day later, the Director Generals of Military Operations of both countries agreed to strictly observe all agreements and stop firing from February 25.

Softening the brash tone further, Imran Khan told participants at the recently held Islamabad Security Dialogue that India can benefit from more trade and connectivity to Central Asia if both nations resolve their issues. Speaking at the same event, Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa maintained that it is time to bury the past and move forward. However, there was a setback when the Pakistan Cabinet rejected the proposal of the Economic Coordination Committee to import sugar, cotton and yarn from India. 

In another twist, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told Samaa TV in an interview on May 7 that the abrogation of Article 370 is India's internal matter. However, he took a U-turn after a backlash from the opposition.  Responding to questions from the public, Imran Khan harked back to his rhetorical narrative by asserting that his government will not talk to India unless it reverses the steps taken on August 5, 2019, including the abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of statehood.