International: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed a desire to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 'not-so-distant future' as he advocated improved relations with the neighbouring country, according to a report by Geo News. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President made the remarks as India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will arrive in Islamabad to attend the SCO Summit.

“I have always been a supporter of good relations with India,” Nawaz said in an exclusive interview with Indian journalist Barkha Dutt, expressing hope that there was an opportunity to revive the relationship. "It would have been a great thing if PM [Narendra] Modi had also attended the SCO summit. I do hope that he and us will have an opportunity to sit together in the not-so-distant future."

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack. The relations further deteriorated after India on August 5, 2019, announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories.

Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India after New Delhi abrogated Article 370. India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility for such engagement.

However, Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly advocated for positive relations with India. Last year, he stressed the need to improve relations with neighbours including India and Afghanistan - recalling that two Indian PMs, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi, had visited Pakistan. He also congratulated Modi on winning a record third term, saying it reflects the confidence of the people in his relationship.

On May 30, Nawaz Sharif publicly acknowledged Pakistan's violation of the 1999 Lahore Declaration with India, a significant admission underscoring a shift in attitude. This was not the first time when Nawaz openly hailed India and took a dig at the Pakistan government for souring relations between the two South Asian nations. This admission was met with a constructive response from the Ministry of External Affairs, signalling a willingness to engage with Pakistan on such matters. 

Is Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan a positive development?

Jaishankar is set to land in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first high-level visit from India amid years of tensions between the two neighbours. Jaishankar is expected to attend a banquet reception hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the delegates from the SCO member nations.

It will be for the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister will travel to Pakistan, even as the ties between the two neighbours remain frosty over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. It is learnt that Jaishankar will stay in Pakistan for less than 24 hours.

Pakistan's former foreign minister Khursheed Mahmood Kasuri has termed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's upcoming visit to Islamabad a "positive development", saying it may help ease tensions between the two neighbours. This came after Jaishankar ruled out chances of bilateral talks during his visit to Pakistan.

"I do want to say it will be for a multilateral event. I mean, I’m not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations, I’m going there to be a good member of the SCO. But, you, know, because I’m a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly," the EAM said in a statement last week.

However, Kasuri said that given the tensions between the two countries, India could have sent a low-level delegation but it didn’t. He said Pak-India relations were unpredictable and they could take unexpected turns as happened on many occasions in the past. "Resuming dialogue will help restore people-to-people contacts and may pave the way for restoration of road, rail and air links," he said.