Pakistan now says Article 370 is India’s internal matter, Foreign Minister Qureshi bats for dialogue

In an interview to Pakistan TV channel, Samaa TV, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi admitted that Article 370 is an internal matter of India and its revocation has been challenged in Supreme Court of India. This is a major development as Pakistan has continuously maintained that it will not have any dialogue with India until revocation of Article 370 and 35A is cancelled and status quo of Jammu & Kashmir  is restored. Imran Khan has not wasted a single opportunity in domestic as well as international stage to raise this bogey and even give it a religious tone to garner support. While his efforts did not gain any traction with even Muslim countries, Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir has proved very costly for them diplomatically and economically. India and Pakistan had recalled their top diplomats following revocation of article 370 and full diplomatic relations are yet to be restored.

While Qureshi is known to make off the cuff remarks and often has to retract his words, this statement appears to be an effort to tone down Pakistan’s rhetoric on Kashmir, probably as a result of ongoing back channel diplomacy. Whether it is the mediation of UAE which is working or realisation that Kasmir issue is becoming a Damocles sword for its failing economy, commitment to dialogue and stating that it is the only way to resolve all issues is a positive development. Starting February, there has been a series of indicators from top leadership of Pakistan, both political and military, to normalise the relations with India.

Apart from saying that Article 370 is an internal issue, Qureshi goes onto say that war is not an option for Pakistan, in fact it is suicidal in the present circumstances, and as two nuclear armed neighbours, sitting across the table and holding talks is the only way to resolve the outstanding issues . In an attempt to do a balancing act, the Foreign Minister also explains  why Article 35A is important to Pakistan, as India could try to restructure the demography of Kashmir by doing away with it. He goes on to say, “There has been a strong reaction in Kashmir to the steps which have been undertaken – whether it is 35A or 370  or the cruelty inflicted there. Today we see a huge section of India which agrees that they have lost more and gained less because of these steps”

After two years, foreign minister Qureshi has realised article 370 means nothing to Pakistan. "It is India's internal issue." pic.twitter.com/FFp2i7l7VT

— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 7, 2021

India has made it clear that the Kashmir issue is off the table as far as dialogue with Pakistan is concerned. What has been done cannot be undone and statehood will be restored in due course when conditions are conducive. Pakistan should not view Mr Qureshi’s statement as an embarrassment or setback, but as good statesmanship and must not allow it to be blackmailed by religious fundamentalists in the name of Kashmir.

Watch the episode of Chanakya Dialogues (Hindi) for more insights into the recent peace overtures by Pakistan and how Pakistan media is weaving the narrative. https://youtu.be/x36S5pT-vbE