THE federal government recently overturned the recommendation of its economic team regarding resumption of trade with India. The decision was taken owing to the brutal treatment of Kashmiris in the occupied valley by the Indian security forces. This raises some important questions.
To begin with, what concrete plan does the government have to bring back normalcy in the India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir? The fact is you cannot change your neighbours. All that has been happening in the occupied valley is appalling and inhumane, to say the least, but with the kind of market that India is, one does not see Pakistan causing much turbulence to India in relation to occupied Kashmir.
Further, the nexus between the United States and India to contain China, especially to counter China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is another f actor in the bilateral ties between Pakistan and India.
The only solution to the Kashmir issue is to have a meaningful and constructive dialogue. Why is this not happening? Local environment and political compulsions seem to go against this sane policy. It is time the government shared its detailed plan on the Kashmir issue with the public.
