SHOULD PAKISTAN TRADE WITH INDIA?

On January 16, 2023, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sat down with the Dubai-based television channel, Al Arabiya and, among other issues, spoke about Pakistan’s relations with India. Sharif stated, “It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources…My message to…Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that let us sit down…and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir.” Sharif also said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could play an important role in facilitating the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan.

In a pro forma response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said, “We [India] have said that we have always wanted normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. But there should be a conducive atmosphere which does not have terror, hostility or violence.”

Much has happened since January 2023. Pakistan’s economy has continued to decline and the country is simmering with political discontent. The February 8 election, widely considered to be rigged at both system and operational levels, has only worsened the situation. The overt and covert repression might have quietened down the full expression of dissent but it continues to fester, affecting the body politic, and will likely recrudesce.