Domestic Factors in Pakistan’s India Policy

Pakistan's policies toward India in the 1980s contrast sharply with the enmity and confrontation which characterized the first three decades of independence. President Zia ul-Haq's proposal, in September 1981, of a no-war pact with neighboring India and Pakistan's persistence in its offensive despite Indian hesitation and suspicion have facilitated a creative dialogue and fostered hopes that some sort of stable peace might eventually come to the core of the subcontinent. The process has been slow and halting, but Zia's visit to Delhi in November 1982, the establishment of a joint IndoPakistani commission in December, and continuing exploration of appropriate instrumentalities for normalization of relations (Pakistan's no-war pact proposal and India's proposed treaty of friendship) suggest that the possibilities of dialogue have not been exhausted. Difficult issues remain on the agenda, however, including Kashmir, troop levels and deployment, armament levels, and the uncertainties of the two countries' respective nuclear programs. It is remarkable that the predominant initiative in the present Indo-Pakistani dialogue has come primarily from Pakistan and that it has done so during a period of military rule. It is also noteworthy that these developments have occurred during a period of increased emphasis on Islamic values and Islamic identity in Pakistan. One

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• The Political Dynamics of Islamic Resurgence in Pakistan

  William L Richter•Asian Survey•1979

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