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Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif are expected to meet in Russia on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on 10 July 2015. Both India and Pakistan are being considered for full membership of the SCO, which is expanding for the first time. Sameer Patil, national security, ethnic conflict and terrorism fellow at Gateway House, comments on the significance of the meeting. |
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Statement: “After a warm start to India-Pakistan relations under the Modi government, the cancellation of foreign secretary-level talks in August 2014 soured the bilateral. While the upcoming meeting between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Russia is likely to be more substantial than the perfunctory handshake shared at the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014, no significant outcomes can be expected. A resumption of bilateral dialogue between the two countries is unlikely because Indian policy makers are not convinced of Pakistan’s resolve to improve bilateral relations. India is also concerned about the civil-military imbalance in Pakistani governance, which is in favour of the military. During the meeting with Sharif, a reiteration of India’s concerns about the continued activities of anti-India terrorist groups in Pakistan will be on top of Modi’s agenda. As will the court-ordered release of 26/11 accused Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi in Pakistan, which is a major sticking point for India. The other issue likely to be raised is that of increased border hostilities by Pakistan’s security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. This has resulted in the persistence of the state’s volatile security situation and strengthened Islamabad’s attempts to involve the international community in Kashmir, which India opposes. Pakistan, on the other hand, is likely to once again accuse India of fomenting instability in Pakistan.” |