Islamabad:
When entering the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the first thing that catches the eye is a striking collection of historical photographs with leaders from both Pakistan and India.
What stands out, however, is that almost 90 percent of these images include three -time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif entry during a visit to India or while hosting Indian Dignitarian in Pakistan.
On one occasion, a journalist jokingly asked an Indian diplomat why any other leader could not come to the Commission’s social hall walls. The diplomat smiled and replied, “What Nawaz Sharif did for the Pak-India-Peace process, no other leader made such a sincere effort to repair ties”.
It is on the basis that Nawaz Sharif, PML-N Supremo, joined the Prime Minister’s house on Thursday to attend a high-level civilian-military meeting that was called to assess Indo-Pak stresses.
However, there is more than meets the eye, as the oldest Sharif’s entrance in the middle of the current stand-off between the two countries is to strengthen the back door contact and play its role to step down the situation-a old hand is brought in when the chips are down.
Shortly after the Pahagam attack and India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in Abeyance, it was reported that Sharif returned to Pakistan from London to call tension between the two countries, considering his reputation as a peace champion over the years.
Since his comeback, Sharif has worked behind the scenes, but Thursday’s Safety Huddle in the PM house was the first time he formally entered the stage.
After his arrival, it was reported that Sharif had advised PM Shehbaz Sharif to ease the tension diplomatically after he informed PML-N Supremo on the decisions made by the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting in the wake of the suspension of IWT of India after an attack in the PaHalgam area.
It was said that Sharif wanted the PML-N-led coalition government to utilize all available diplomatic resources to restore peace between the two nuclear armed states and said he was not eager to take an aggressive position.
Thereafter, Prime Minister Shehbaz had also offered India that Pakistan was open to any “neutral and transparent” study of the Pahaldam attack.
Nevertheless, the situation changed significantly since the Jati Umrah meeting as India attacked several cities in Pakistan. By retaliation, Pakistan shot down five Indian jets, leaving India red face.
Then the second NSC, since the stand-off, approved the armed forces in Pakistan, to respond to the Indian aggression and revenge the loss of innocent Pakistani life as well as the obvious violation of its sovereignty, which shows that although Pakistan may extend the olive branch, it will not turn the other cheek.
Although civilian-military leadership emphasizes that Pakistan will respond to Indian aggression at a time, place and way to choose, efforts are also made to strengthen the backchannel contact to abuse tension.
On May 7, it had been found that national security advisers in Pakistan and India have established contact with each other after India launched a series of missile attacks in Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir in the early hours on Wednesday.
On Thursday, sources confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz was chairman of a meeting attended by the top military leadership to take status over the security situation, especially after India used several Israeli-made Harop drones to attack several cities in Pakistan.
