On the eve of the 22nd of March, a day before Pakistan’s National Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Minister Imran Khan exchanged tweets about the need for peace between India and Pakistan.
Merely weeks after perhaps one of the worst wars between India and Pakistan after the 1999 Kargil War, Narendra Modi and Imran Khan attempted a peace treaty between the warring countries.
Apart from proposing to the Pakistan Prime Minister it was time for the two Countries to put their differences aside, Narendra Modi also conveyed his wishes to the citizens of Pakistan, ahead of the Pakistan National Day. Like every year, Pakistan is going to celebrate its National Day on the 23rd of March.
In response to PM Narendra Modi’s tweet, Pakistan Minister Imran replied by sharing the tweet in question. Further, he also said it is time to begin a comprehensive dialogue with India to resolve all issues and both the Countries need to forge a new relationship based on peace and prosperity.
میں وزیراعظم مودی کے تہنیتی پیغام کا خیر مقدم کرتا ہوں۔ میرا خیال ہے کہ یومِ پاکستان کی خوشیاں سمیٹنے کیساتھ ہم تمام تصفیہ طلب مسائل خصوصاً کشمیر جیسے مرکزی تنازع کے حل کیلئے بھارت سے جامع مذاکرات شروع کریں اور اپنے لوگوں کیلئے امن و خوشحالی کی بنیاد پر نئے تعلقات کا آغاز کریں۔
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2019
However, unlike the previous years, the Indian Government is not going to be sending any representatives to the Pakistan Embassy this year. “The decision was taken after the Pakistan High Commission decided to call Hurriyat leader to the reception. In February we were very clear, any attempt by Pakistan High Commission or Pakistani leadership to engage with Hurriyat leaders will not be taken lightly,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar.
With the airstrikes carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF,) post the death of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans in the Pulwama terror attack, still fresh in everyone’s minds, these back and forth tweets are seen as a peace flag.
Only time will tell if these messages will translate into something more concrete or if the messages are just the calm before a bad storm.
Stay tuned for more updates.
