Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demeanor and body language when he met his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, in Paris has sent a chill down the spine of his die-hard supporters who extol him as Hindu Hriday Samrat, or King of Hindu Hearts.
One Indian commentator wrote that it was Modi who walked up to Sharif. The pictorial coverage in the Indian media showed Sharif to be in command of the situation giving Modi — who leaned forward and whispered into Sharif's ear — a good-natured hearing.
The scene reminded me of how Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, would speak to his boss and mentor Lal Krishna Advani before he became the premier. But was it just an act or a pretense or has the Indian premier at long last realized that there is no alternative but to gracefully and politely engage Pakistan?
If Modi really has had a change of heart and is genuinely interested in restarting the stalled New Delhi-Islamabad peace dialogue, he must immediately give the go-ahead to the India-Pakistan cricket series in Sri Lanka, which has been cleared by the cricket boards of both nations but is hostage to Modi’s whims.
Realization seems to have dawned also on another Bharatiya Janata Party honcho: Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, and more importantly, Secretary of the Board for the Control of Cricket in India. Until last week, the young man wore his jingoism on his sleeve. At every opportunity, he would declare that playing cricket with Pakistan was out of the question as long as it sent terrorists to India and resorted to firing across the Line of Control.
But now Thakur is suddenly reason personified. Speaking at The Indian Express Idea Exchange on Thursday, he unexpectedly called for resumption of cricket ties with Pakistan! Stressing that it’s important to sit across the table and talk to Pakistan, Thakur said that cricket could pave the way for other issues, such as terrorism and trade, to be discussed. The hothead spoke like a diplomat.
Interestingly, Thakur now believes that a major diplomatic issue like engagement with Pakistan should not be swayed by social media. Without mincing his words, he said that the government should learn to withstand pressure from social media and look at the interest of the nation. Hindutva trolls are now gunning for Thakur for denigrating social media but that’s beside the point.
I have said this before and I will say it again that there is no alternative for India and Pakistan, who have fought three-and-a-half wars, but to talk. They simply can’t afford to stop talking. Occasional sulking and tiffs are permissible but they should be on talking terms most of the time. Realistically speaking, India and Pakistan are evenly poised militarily. Pakistan is no pushover; India cannot overrun Pakistan as it has a professional army and nuclear weapons. An India-Pakistan war will result in nothing else but a strategic impasse. Therefore, war is not an option — only peace is. Modi can ask V. K. Singh, former Chief of Army Staff who embraced the BJP and is now junior Foreign Minister. Last month, Congress Party’s Mani Shankar Aiyar triggered a scandal by telling the anchor of a Pakistani television show that Modi had to be removed from office for India-Pakistan relations to improve. When asked how to take the peace process forward, Aiyar replied: First remove Modi.
Despite criticism, Aiyar stuck to his guns. He argued that he is as entitled to his belief that peace has no chance for the next four years since Modi will be in office, as Modi and his flock who think that talks with Pakistan are not just undesirable but also impossible. Modi now has a golden opportunity to prove Aiyar wrong. He has made a good beginning in Paris by walking up to Sharif and breaking the ice. Even if what the two premiers exchanged were mere courtesies, hopes have been kindled in both countries.
