Prime minister Modi's inauguration in India, May 26, 2014, and the meetings in New Delhi with prime minister Sharif of Pakistan

05/24/2014

A rapproachement with Pakistan, "uninterrupted and uninterruptible" in the words of the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, as "development" agenda of Modi moves from the Indian election to the top of the South Asian agenda. A look at Pakistan's daily newspaper Dawn's website shows the brother of Nawas Sharif visited New Delhi as Punjab chief minister seeking substantive talks in December 2013, but was not taken up by the Congress party government because of elections. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman says the delay in accepting the Modi invitation for the inauguration is because Pakistan wanted bilateral discussions to give the Sharif visit substance. In the context of Shabaz Sharif's goal it would appear that the Sharifs have grasped the idea that their hold on confidence in Pakistan for a second term, unlike all previous administrations, depends on delivery of economic promises, made easier with an economic alliance with India. It would not be lost on Sharif's election planners that the key for his party in Punjab (and in future the Sindh province), is the young newly added voters, especially after Modi took most of the 10 million newly registered voters in India in 2014. To be the man who made peace, and delivered on economic development, is a once in many generations opportunity for Sharif especially as the young people in India and Pakistan now see potholes and electricity outages more easily than skirmishes in remote far away places than have little to do with daily lives and doing without.

Grouped Articles

In Possible Thaw, Pakistani Leader Is to Attend Modi’s Swearing-In

New York Times 05/24/2014

Ellen Barry, Ellen, Barry, Declan Walsh, Declan, Walsh

Leaders of India and Pakistan Hold Rare Meeting

New York Times 05/27/2014

Ellen Barry, Ellen, Barry

India and Pakistan in ‘Common Agenda’

New York Times 05/27/2014

Ellen Barry, Ellen, Barry, Suhasini Raj, Suhasini, Raj

Protesting Faction Bows to Pakistan Parliament

Wall Street Journal 09/03/2014

Saeed Shah, Saeed, Shah

Pakistan Leader's Predicament Shows Power of 'Deep State'

Wall Street Journal 09/10/2014

Yaroslav Trofimov, Yaroslav, Trofimov

Opinion: Indian Premier Modi should not isolate Pakistan's Sharif | Opinion | DW.COM | 30.09.2016

DW.COM 09/30/2016

Shamil Shams