NEW DELHI: The beginning of 2016 will see India and Pakistan taking fresh guard to ramp up bilateral engagements with a meeting between the foreign secretaries but it could also see a bout of dargah diplomacy to underline the new significance being attached to religious tourism in ties.
Times of India, quoting official sources reported on Sunday that Shahbaz Sharif, is likely to visit India next month. Both sides are in touch to facilitate meetings for him with Indian leaders including PM Narendra Modi in the last week of January.
With approval from the Indian government, Shahbaz has been invited by the management committee of the Nizamuddin Auliya dargah to take part in the Urs or death anniversary of the 13th century Sufi saint whose life epitomized peace and goodwill.
While Shahbaz is said to have accepted the invite, both countries are looking to use the opportunity to further the purple patch they seem to have hit in bilateral ties. Confirming the invite, Nizamuddin chief khadim Tahir Nizami said he had visited the dargah several decades earlier too.
Diplomats in the Indian capital said the visit could be used by both countries to expand the ambit of the composite dialogue process which was resumed recently under the new name of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue. The fresh dialogue process will likely have additional components apart from those mentioned in the composite dialogue. One important addition, according to both sides, is going to be religious tourism.
Facilitation of religious tourism was not just mentioned in the Islamabad statement as one of the issues which will be addressed under the new dialogue but also figured in the Ufa statement in July – issued after a meeting between the prime ministers – as one of the 5 steps to be taken by both countries.
According to sources here, one reason why India felt it was time to move on from its focus on the Mumbai attacks trial, without disowning the past as a source put it, was the significance being attached to religious tourism and humanitarian issues by people of both countries. The fact that Geeta became such an issue with people from both countries calling for her to be united with her parents also apparently played on the minds of Indian authorities.
Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary will be here next month for a meeting with his counterpart S Jaishankar. As the statement in Islamabad said, the 2 officials will work out the modalities and schedule of the meetings under the Comprehensive Dialogue including Peace and Security, CBMs, Jammu & Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Counter-Terrorism, Narcotics Control, Humanitarian Issues, People to People exchanges and religious tourism. The original composite dialogue which was divided into 8 parts did not mention humanitarian issues and religious tourism.
