Pak-India ‘backchannel’ talks hit dead end

ISLAMABAD, August 8: Backchannel contacts between Pakistan and India have met a dead end as both sides have struggled to agree on the moves that may pave the way for slow but gradual improvement in the relationship.
“Talks have been going on but have reached a point where things aren’t moving anywhere,” a source familiar with the development said.
There has been a desire from both the sides to break the impasse but the issue is how to move forward from this point onwards, the source explained. What has slowed down the process was the political uncertainty in Pakistan. There was a glimmer of hope for a possible thaw in the relationship following the change of government in Pakistan in April. What spurred the optimism was that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first leaders to congratulate Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The sources said backchannel contacts that began during the PTI government’s tenure picked up pace in April after the change of government. But despite “intense” backchannel diplomacy, the two sides were not willing to concede an inch on their respective issues. Pakistan is keen that India must take steps with regards to Kashmir before any process of normalisation of ties begins. New Delhi, however, is more interested in Islamabad first exploring the option of resuming bilateral trade. But India instead of offering any concessions on Kashmir hardened its stance. Some of the developments including efforts to hold G-20 summit-related events in Srinagar did not go down well with Pakistan. – NNI