Pakistan ‘Lobbying’ With Indians Against Modi’s ‘Extremism’: Sartaj Aziz

Pakistan's foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz has said that Pakistani missions abroad, including in India, are making efforts to reach out to the Indian people who are opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "extremism", the media reported on Wednesday. Aziz, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's foreign policy advisor, on Tuesday conveyed this to the country's Senate, Dawn reported.

"Our missions abroad, including in New Delhi, are making outreach efforts to emphasise the extremist Indian policies," Aziz said. He also said Pakistan was doing its utmost to engage the international community, including its regional partners, to counter India's efforts to isolate Pakistan in the region.

At the same time, Aziz stressed the need for a "positive response" from India in order to move forward. He said that while Pakistan always conveyed a desire to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue, India had chosen to attach "conditions" to the talks, Dawn reported.

He said Pakistan was ‘supportive’ of all initiatives for ‘peace and stability’ in the region and this was evident from its decision to participate in the Heart of Asia ministerial conference in Amri­tsar, despite the SAARC summit in Islamabad being cancelled because of India.

Pakistan’s decision to engage with ‘Indians’, experts say, is driven by the fact that Islamabad is losing its allies in the international arena and is feeling the crunch of isolation, rather than being motivated by the principles of peace and harmony that it often preaches, but seldom withholds. Pakistan is not engaging directly with the Indian government because it can’t afford to appear weaker, something that has to do with the grand narrative of an ‘existential threat’ that the failing state’s army has knitted together since Independence.