NEW DELHI: India’s parties of the left are losing patience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “no talks” policy with Pakistan, and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the largest parliamentary group in the pack, gave expression to the frustration on Thursday, calling for an early resumption of dialogue with Islamabad.

“The Modi government’s policy towards Pakistan has reached a dead end,” the CPI-M said in the latest issue of the party organ, Peoples Democracy. “Despite all its bluster and nationalistic posturing on Kashmir, the Modi government must realise that a dialogue with Pakistan is an essential part of arriving at a political settlement on the Jammu & Kashmir issue.”

Understood to have been penned by former party chief Prakash Karat, who edits the weekly paper, the party pressed the government to work on restoring the 2003 ceasefire agreement together with a resumption of the comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan.

The call came as a host of countries in Afghanistan’s neighbourhood and beyond gathered in Kabul to resolve the sticking regional issue that drives much of diplomacy in South Asia.

Having called off the dialogue with Pakistan in August 2015, the Indian government has steadfastly maintained that there can be no talks till alleged cross-border terrorism stops. “The surgical strikes across the Line of Control in September 2016 were touted to be India’s firm response to cross-border terrorism. The then Defence Minister Manohar Parikar claimed that after continuous ceasefire violations for the past few years, this was the only befitting reply,” the CPI-M recalled.

“However, the aftermath of the surgical strikes show a steady increase in the shelling and firing across the Line of Control and the international border in Jammu & Kashmir. Since the ceasefire was put in place in November 2003, the year 2017 witnessed the highest number of violations so far.”

The constant shelling and artillery fire have taken the lives of scores of civilians on both sides, the party noted, echoing a concern voiced by other communist and left groups. On the Indian side thousands have had to be evacuated from their homes. In Uri sector, 2,000 villagers have taken refuge in Uri town since February 22. Schools have been closed intermittently and livelihoods disrupted, the party said.

“The surgical strikes have not stopped the attacks by extremists from across the border on army and BSF camps, the latest being the attack on the Sunjwan army camp in Jammu and the CRPF camp in Srinagar.”

The CPI-M said the Modi government’s “one-dimensional” view that all protests and separatist demands are Pakistan-inspired has prevented it from taking any serious step for a political dialogue within Jammu & Kashmir. “It’s purely security and militaristic approach that has further worsened the situation in the valley.”

The editorial noted that it was in such a situation that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti stated in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly that “dialogue with Pakistan is necessary if we are to end bloodshed.... we have to talk since war is no option”. This was immediately refuted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Modi government.

“Ram Madhav, General Secretary of the BJP, retorted that terrorism and talks cannot go together,” the CPI-M recalled.

It said that by closing off all avenues for talks with Pakistan, the Modi government has painted itself into a corner. “There has been no let up in the militant attacks within the valley and the ceasefire on the Line of Control is in tatters. The price being paid by the security forces and the civilian population, in terms of casualties, is escalating.

“There is an urgent need to back off from this blinkered confrontationist stance. First of all, there should be talks to restore the ceasefire and peace on the Line of Control and the international border in Jammu & Kashmir.

Confidence building measures must be initiated. This can be done along with the government making it clear that it will continue to take firm measures to check cross-border infiltration of extremists.

“Simultaneously, the government should initiate talks for the resumption of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan. Despite the “no talks” approach the national security advisers of the two countries have met in third countries, the CPI-M noted.

India has also invited the Pakistan commerce minister to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting in Delhi in the third week of March. This must be followed up with talks on how to restart the dialogue.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018