Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has congratulated Narendra Modi, on being elected as the new Prime Minister, even as they look forward towards taking concrete steps for the future of Pakistan and India.
Modi who has been voted to the post after a record turn-out of at least 66.38% eligible came out to cast votes in the elections that lasted 6 weeks. But Narendra Modi and his political party BJP is not listed in Pakistan’s good books, and the reason: BJP’s anti-Muslim stance. While the recent controversy over Modi’s statement to carry out attacks in Pakistan to get Dawood Ibrahim back, has forced Pakistani think tanks to rethink its country’s foreign policy and strategy towards India.
Modi is viewed as the game planner for the anti-Muslim Gujarat riots of 2002. Many Pakistanis believe his current political standing is a reward for his anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan ‘ideology’. Pakistan, caught up in domestic woes relating to internal security and stability, has seen little public discussion on this. His election as the country’s Premier is seen as a question to Indo-Pak relations and regional stability.
Masood Sharif Khattak, a former Director General of Pakistan Intelligence Bureau (IB) sees Modi’s election as a major change maker, whose rigid positioning might hurt India from all directions. “If Modi goes about with the Muslim genocide style and towards destabilizing South Asia, India will catch international attention and be exposedâ€. Adding that,“If Modi carries on with Hindu extremists agenda & alienates Muslims/others in a big way he will be sowing seeds of further partition of Indiaâ€.
One of the major challenges that face Modi, is his relationship with Pakistan. Recently, many steps have been taken to improve the relations between the two countries trying to link their bond stronger, through trade and tourism.
The fact remains that that outgoing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, tried invariably with good intentions to create a better relation and ease tensions between India and Pakistan, despite that he could not visit the country of his birth even once. While Modi being elected is nothing less than a shaker for the Pakistani as his anti-Muslim sentiments were clearly seen through his speeches.
At this crucial time many also see him in both a positive and negative role for Pakistan. Many hope Modi could push for improved relations with Pakistan, following the model of the BJP government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee a decade ago. Which was the last time a major breakthrough in India-Pakistan relations took place Secondly, Modi’s vision for economic growth and regional trade aligns with that of the Nawaz Sharif administration that focuses on economic opportunities aiming to improve ties with Afghanistan and India, with Pakistan as a trade hub for Central, Western and Southern Asia.
Pakistan hopes to resume currently suspended complex dialogue with the new government in New Delhi. Islamabad has been held back on taking steps to normalize trade with India, which was due to the wait for the new government before awarding the Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) to India. Nawaz Sharif is still keen to start a result-oriented engagement with the new Indian political dispensation, while the rest lies in the hands of Modi.