Sharif ’s admission

Sharif ’s admission

Pakistan must effect a strategic shift shunning terrorism.

In a significant development, Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court has resumed hearing of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case and summoned the last two Pakistani prosecution witnesses to record their statements. This comes after former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s disclosure in a recent interview that his country had indeed played a role in the dastardly attack on Indian soil. Sharif stated that terrorist organisations were thriving in Pakistan and ‘non-state actors’ were responsible for the carnage in Mumbai.

Perhaps Sharif’s ouster from power last year over flimsy corruption charges stemming from the Panama Papers leak – the Pakistani army is said to be behind the judicial move – has pushed him to call it like it is. But there’s no denying that Pakistan today stands increasingly isolated within the international community for its sheltering of terror outfits. Apart from the US cranking up pressure on Pakistan, Sharif has revealed that even Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed concerns regarding Islamabad’s inability to tackle terror cases. Besides, Sharif represents the civilian constituency in Pakistan which feels heavily marginalised. After all, Pakistan’s so-called strategic decisions have led to Pakistani industry and civil society being suffocated.

It’s time this constituency is given primacy and the practice of parallel authorities in Pakistan terminated. Pakistan’s military-ISI complex is responsible for the mess that country is in today. True, of late Pakistan army chief General Qamar Bajwa has been sending ambiguous signals that he might be ready for dialogue with India. But past New Delhi-Islamabad talks made little headway. What’s needed first is a complete strategic shift on the part of the entire Pakistani establishment shunning terrorism and pushing for peace and economic growth. Then only can dialogue be meaningful and Pakistan begin the process of normalisation. Otherwise, it will end up a pariah state.