Why Secret India Pakistan Peace Plan Was Brokered By UAE?
A top diplomat of the UAE visited New Delhi, just the day after military chiefs from India and Pakistan decided to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement. Officials say that the ceasefire is the first step towards the peace between India and Pakistan. Reinstating envoys in India and Pak will be the next step, as per officials. Talks on resuming trade and Kashmir can follow after that. The question is why was this peace plan between India and Pakistan brokered by UAE?
The Foreign Minister of UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed met Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on 26th February. As per UAE official they “discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them.”
It is said that the secret talks between Indian and Pakistan mediated by the UAE have begun months earlier.
According to the official the next step will be reinstating the envoys in New Delhi and Islamabad. The envoys were pulled in 2019 after Pakistan protested the initiative taken by India to end the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
Then comes the last and the most difficult part that is to talk and discuss on how to resume trade and a long-lasting resolution on the Kashmir issue.
This process is largely supported by the Indian administration as it is seeking for peace in Afghanistan. India also wants to focus military resources on the border with China.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s leaders are also struggling with the economic crisis and they are making their best efforts to make a good impression on the US and other powers.
However, foreign ministries of India and Pakistan had not commented anything about the peace talks till now. Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked India “to bury the past and move forward” and enter talks to resolve “all our outstanding issues.”
The comments came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan called for a resolution on Kashmir, which he described as “the one issue that holds us back.”
PM Modi sent a tweet on Saturday, wishing Imran Khan well after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. It is another sign that relations between the countries are getting warmer.
The UAE which has historic trade and diplomatic links with both India and Pakistan is playing a role in conducting the India-Pak peace talks.
They say this improvement in alliance between India, Pakistan and UAE will help to develop South Asia as the Global trade and logistics hub.
Why UAE brokered India Pakistan Peace Plan
As GreatGameIndia reported earlier, India and UAE have signed an ambitious $7 billion Food Corridor agreement according to which UAE will invest billions of dollars in a food processing complex in India which will purchase foodgrains, fruits and vegetables directly from 22 lakh farmers in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
The project is the cornerstone of the Arab nations Food security strategy and for it to work, India’s new farming laws will remove the middlemen from the equation. The project is seen to be implemented under the umbrella of the Abraham Accords – the Israel-UAE peace agreement.
Owing to the Pulwama attack – the suicide attack in Kashmir that killed 40 Indian soldiers, the India-Pakistan ties were effectively cut off 2 years ago. India responded to this attack by conducting air strikes on terror facilities inside Pakistan.
As per the joint statement, the two sides “agreed to address each other’s core issues,” signaling a wider discussion on Kashmir and terrorism. There are several incidents that took place and that indicate that UAE is also playing an important role in bringing back peace between India and Pakistan.
In November, Mr Jaishankar met UAE’s foreign minister and the crown Prince along with Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Also India had allowed Imran Khan’s aircraft to fly over Indian airspace as he was heading to Sri Lanka for a state visit. Such permissions have been suspended since 2019 hostilities.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said “Obviously Pakistan has an important role to play when it comes to Afghanistan and what takes place across its other border,” Price said on Feb. 25. “So clearly, we will be paying close attention.”
- Source : GreatGameIndia
