The SCO and India-Pakistan rivalry
- By Sajjad Malik
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 13, 2017
Normally we avoid inviting a pair of guests to dinner who are sworn enemies and have track record of spoiling the occasion. But there is the unique case of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which has formally included India and Pakistan despite a bitter rivalry that spans more than 70 years and shows no signs of abatement.
When the SCO formally agreed to include the South Asian nuclear neighbors as members during the annual summit held in Ufa, Russia, in 2015, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines.
It was a welcome beginning. The two leaders agreed to release fishermen held in each other country for violating territorial sea borders and asked their foreign ministries to set up further engagements. Consequently, a meeting of foreign ministers was agreed on to take place in New Delhi.
But before Pakistan’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz could go, a crisis brewed over his planned meeting with leaders of Kashmir, whom India brands as “separatist.” India demanded Aziz to skip the meeting, but Aziz declined. And the visit was called-off. It only served to push the relations between the two countries further downhill.
Since then, the armies of the two countries have regularly clashed in the disputed region of Kashmir, the Himalayan state partially controlled by each country. As civilians and soldiers die in the firing across the Line of Control, the de facto border line which divides Kashmir, the Indian security forces have launched a crackdown on people protesting against its “occupation” in its part of Kashmir, killing dozens of civilians.
The two countries are also members of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Set up in 1985 with the objective of increasing cooperation in South Asia, it also includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It has the potential to transform the region but has failed to achieve much due to the rivalry between Pakistan and India. Its last summit was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November 2016, but was cancelled after India refused to attend.
Now these two countries have joined the SCO, which has so far made unhindered progress. One of the reasons for the success of the SCO is that its members have not been hamstrung by mutual rivalries and territorial disputes. In the SCO, not only Pakistan and India have boundary problems, but India and China also have serious boundary disputes. How it will impact the working of SCO is yet to be seen.
But there is reason to be hopeful. There have been several instances where multilateral settings have had a sobering impact on foreign policy by providing an alternative space for unofficial interactions away from the prying eye of local media.
I mentioned SAARC failing to achieve any tangible progress on the socio-economic front, but it has been instrumental for some of the historical engagements between leaders from Pakistan and India.
For example, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee traveled to Pakistan in 2004 for a SAARC summit, and his meetings with military ruler Pervez Musharraf resulted in the start of a new round of dialogue between the countries.
The dialogue was suspended unilaterally by India after the Mumbai attacks of 2008, but it was the most comprehensive effort ever made between the two countries to resolve all their issues through talks.
Now Indian and Pakistan have another platform in the SCO. It can play an important role as an alternative venue where leaders can meet at a bilateral level to address issues. Other influential SCO members like Russia and China can also help facilitate diplomacy.
The SCO’s focus on combating terrorism and extremism can be another area of cooperation between Pakistan and India, as there are currently mutual accusations of involvement in terrorism.
Relations between Pakistan and India are passing through a difficult period. It is evidenced by the fact that Prime Minister Sharif and Prime Minister Modi are attending but no meeting has been scheduled. But the forum should ultimately bring them together. Otherwise, it might become difficult for the SCO to deliver on its key promises.
Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
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