Reading Too Much Into A Letter? Pakistani Agencies Flip-Flop Over PM Modi’s Letter To Imran Khan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter to newly inducted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has created a flutter within the diplomatic and political circles in both countries. The Prime Minister in his letter called for “good neighbourly relations” and pursuit of “meaningful and constructive engagement” which was initially misconstrued by the Pakistan Foreign Minister as a proposal for initiation of dialogue between the two neighbouring countries.

Prime Minister Modi also highlighted the need for the Indian subcontinent to be free of terror and violence thus maintaining the Indian posture of tying reduction in Pakistan sponsored terrorism to the prospects of a renewed dialogue between the two countries.

Commentariat have since been abuzz about the prospects of a fresh peace initiative and statements by both the Pakistan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister calling for a fresh bilateral entente have further fuelled these speculations.

Pakistan’s newly appointed foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi claimed in a Facebook video, that the letter signalled PM Modi’s offer to open dialogue between the two countries. The foreign ministry however later denied Quershi’s statement.

However, it would be pertinent to temper these expectations with the recognition of the fact that David Coleman Headley’s half brother was a part of the Pakistani delegation which visited India to pay their final respects to deceased former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

While Pakistan has contended that the concerned officer, Daniyal Gilani, was not part of any Indian blacklist, the fact remains that inclusion of a relative of key Mumbai attack mastermind, Headley, makes for bad optics. Past peace initiatives have similarly floundered courtesy Pakistan’s ambiguity in dissociating themselves from terror protagonists and caution should therefore be exercise in reading too much into Prime Minister Modi’s letter to the Pakistan Prime Minister.