The Indian experience.

I was in Goa recently to cover the SCO meeting. This was the first visit by Pakistani journalists to India since 2016. In recent years, getting a visa has become increasingly cumbersome for media-persons on both sides due to the deteriorating bilateral ties.

Last time I visited India was in 2014, weeks before the parliamentary elections that saw Narendra Modi become the PM. At the time ties between the two countries were not that hostile. In fact we were on a visit at the invitation of the Indian government. The Congress government was still keen to find a way to improve ties with Pakistan. We had met Salman Khurshid and Sujatha Singh, the then Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary respectively. Both in their opening remarks acknowledged Kashmir as a disputed territory needing a final settlement.

But that was then. Today, if any Indian leader or official publicly acknowledges Kashmir as a disputed territory that would be no less than a diplomatic victory for Pakistan. Things have changed so dramatically in the last decade or so that India no longer publicly talks about Kashmir. One simple explanation for this paradigm shift is the opposite journeys Pakistan and India undertook. While India is emerging as a global economic powerhouse, Pakistan is competing with Sri Lanka. Just one stat would be enough to open our eyes. Pakistan's total GDP size is currently around $375 billion (projected to come down next year because of the rupee devaluation) while the Indian state Maharashtra's economic size is projected to rise to $486 billion next year.

There was a heated debate in Pakistan whether Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari should have visited India, given the current state of the bilateral relationship. But, I think it was the right decision. India, I sensed, never wanted Bilawal to come to Goa. The reason was that India knew Bilawal's presence would overshadow the SCO meeting, the last thing India wanted. India's approach aside, there was so much hype and obsession about Pakistan-India ties that most of the Indian journalists only travelled to Goa because of Bilawal's visit. Bilawal's presence in Goa may not have eased...