News Analysis |
“Narendra Modi- led government should stop selling the idea of ‘quadrilateral’ project of the US, Japan, Australia and India and should join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” Sudheendra Kulkarni, Indian Official said in an opinion piece for The Hindu. He had served at the Indian Prime Minister Office during former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. He added that India and Pakistan are one of the world’s least integrated countries.
He opined while writing for The Hindu, “because of their unending mutual hostility, South Asia too has become the least integrated region in the world. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is in a coma.” He lamented that the ratio of poor people is high in both countries. He revealed, “less than $3 billion annually, trade with Pakistan accounts for a meager 0.4% of India’s growing global commerce.”
A three-way India-China-Pakistan cooperation is not only necessary but indeed possible, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides a practical framework for such partnership.
Both countries can improve their trade relations keeping aside their traditional. Whenever the possibilities came between these two countries to hold peace talks, Pakistan always puts Kashmir conflict first whereas India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism, hence trade and terror cannot go together. Hence, the prospects of bilateral trade relation never remained smooth. He quoted India’s Chief of Army Staff, Bipin Rawat, “Our Army chief General Bipin Rawat’s egregious remark last year about India being ready for a simultaneous two-and-a-half front war with Pakistan and China (the “half front” being our own alienated people in Kashmir) has helped solidify an impression that our two large neighbors can never be friendly towards India.” he asserted that the basic amenities of every common person can be met only by regional cooperation instead regional rivalry.
Read more: US encourages Indo-Pak talks on Kashmir
Discussing China, Kulkarni wrote, “A three-way India-China-Pakistan cooperation is not only necessary but indeed possible, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides a practical framework for such partnership.” He added that Modi’s government is being misled by the experts on China’s Belt & Road initiative.
Strained Indo-Pak relations
Both India and Pakistan are neighboring countries and unfortunately have had strained relations since their independence. Since the announcement of Trump’s South Asia strategy, this relationship has deteriorated. This distrust has resulted in an unintentional arms race which has drained the resources of both countries which could otherwise have been utilized for improving the living standards of poverty ridden populace in both these states.
Both countries can improve their trade relations keeping aside their traditional. Whenever the possibilities came between these two countries to hold peace talks, Pakistan always puts Kashmir conflict first whereas India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism, hence trade and terror cannot go together.
There is an immediate need to enhance cooperation between the two states. Diplomacy and trade must be used as a first step to improve ties between the two countries. India must not look at CPEC with apprehension. It must accept Pakistan’s indirect offers to become a part of this multi-billion dollar project. CPEC can serve as a basis for improvement of ties which one day might lead to resolution of the Kashmir dispute as well.