Binoo Joshi

JK News Today’s Strategic Corner
The news that Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is going to Pakistan to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO) summit in Islamabad on October 15- 16 . This is a display of the strength of the Indian foreign policy under the Modi government when it comes to the multilateral forums , India plays its due role in the world affairs . It doesn’t distinguish between countries, be it Pakistan or any other country.

There is another profound messaging in the forthcoming visit of Jaishankar to Islamabad- the participation in the SCO summit is in keeping with India’s foreign policy to stay tuned and committed to the multilateral forums , and at the same time its presence is seen with hope and promise by the rest of the world that is not part of SCO.
The announcement of Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad has been greeted in many ways by the Indians, and Pakistanis. It is expected that s0on the US and China will offer their reactions on the visit as India’s presence in the moot has made it look extraordinary and purposeful , given the standing of the country in world affairs .

Its importance can be gauged by the fact that the formal announcement of foreign minister’s visit to Pakistan was made days after the successful conclusion of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in an unprecedentedly peaceful atmosphere. It was a rebuff to all those forces which had questioned the authenticity of the polls .
Pakistani officials and media were tirelessly calling these elections as “ fake” and also as an exercise under the “military supervision.” With more than 63 per cent participation of voters in the elections took wind out of sails of Pakistan and its propaganda machinery .
Although no bilateral meetings scheduled between the Indian foreign minister and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, the mere presence of Jaishankar at SCO summit in Islamabad it on October 15- 16 will reflect the extraordinary success of the elections, manifesting will of the 14 million people of J&K and their faith in the Indian democracy .

The people in the region have shown that they have tremendous faith in their vote, and for them , the era of bullet stands buried forever . Jaishankar , face of the Indian democracy in SCO summit will remind Pakistan and the rest of the world that India owns its people in J&K in a democratic fashion. The abrogation of Article 370 was a watershed moment in the democratic trajectory of J&K.
This summit in Pakistan is being held at a time when Middle East is burning and some commentators see the volatile region an inch away from an all-out war . India has been in the forefront in calling for de-escalation of the conflict situation . India has been playing its role in a big way. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu within a day after Hezbollah Commander Nasrallah was killed in Israeli strike in Lebanon .
While Modi had made it clear India’s stand to Israeli Prime Minister that “ Terrorism has no place in our world,”, he also emphasized : “ it is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages “ There was a longstanding reiteration of India’s commitment to “ supporting efforts for an early restoration of peace and stability.” Again Jaishankar’s presence will underscore India’s involvement in resolving the conflict situations across the world. India’s role in attempting to defuse Russia-Ukraine conflict have been appreciated by the world.

This visit of S Jaishankar to Pakistan grabbed headlines as it will be the first visit of Indian foreign minister since 2015. And it is also first by any Indian minister since the visit of hen Home Minister Rajnath Singh in August 2016. But that is not the only reason that the visit would be the most discussed one in the run up to the summit and thereafter given the strained ties between India and Pakistan , particularly since abrogation of Article 370 that snapped special status of Jammu and Kashmir and simultaneous bifurcation of the state into two federally administered union territories of J&K, and Ladakh .
There were a lot of speculations whether India would be attending the multilateral summit in Pakistan or not after Pakistan invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the SCO Council of Heads of the government . The suspense was due to the strained relations between the two countries . India has been insisting that normal relations with Pakistan were out of question unless the latter stops its cross-border terrorism into Jammu and Kashmir. Home Minister Amit Shah and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar have been in the frontline of “ no dialogue with Pakistan unless it stops cross-border terrorism and accepts the reality of abrogation of Article 370 as the final solution to Kashmir issue.” They have also been asking Pakistan to vacate J&K’s areas under its illegal occupation since 1947.
Pakistan will have to rethink on its policy on Kashmir as there is no other way for it to look forward to normal ties with India. SCO summit is an opportunity for Pakistan to declare end it outs cross-border terrorism into Jammu and Kashmir .