Efforts will be made to initiate restoration of Pakistan-India relations: Indian journalist

ISLAMABAD:- Senior Indian journalist Suhasini Haidar expressed hope for a revival of bilateral relations between Pakistan and India during the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

In an exclusive interview with Dunya News, Haidar noted that trade between the two countries has been stagnant for the past five years.

With Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visiting Pakistan, she emphasised the importance of initiating bilateral dialogue.

Haidar pointed out that there were currently no connections between the two nations similar to those established before 2019, suggesting that such discussions might not take place during this visit, as both countries have indicated that it is a multilateral engagement.

She highlighted that Pakistan had halted trade with India in 2019, following a ban on bilateral trade during the tenure of the former PTI government.

She stressed the need to restore relationships as the SCO provided a platform for leadership dialogue.

Haidar called for the return of high commissioners, and the resumption of the bus service between Lahore and Delhi.

Another Indian journalist, Smita Sharma, reflected on her previous visits, including a trip in 2015 during former Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan.

She noted that since then, there has been very little forward movement in relations between both countries.

She mentioned that after her last visit in July 2019, hopes for improvement have diminished as even now, Jaishankar’s visit only focused on the SCO summit.

Sharma added that while former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif maintained good relations with Narendra Modi, the current dynamics with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are different.

She concluded that, for now, neither country was likely to appoint a high commissioner.