Islamabad: With a buzz on whether elections in Pakistan will take place as per schedule, the country finally went into polls on Thursday with a huge baggage of key issues like sinking economy, Afghanistan political turmoil, and highly unstable political environment. Political experts have pointed out that while its not hard to predict who will win the elections this time, what is interesting to find out is what impact the poll results will have on India as India too is heading towards General elections in May 2024.
New Delhi closely watching Pak polls
New Delhi is closely watching the general elections that are underway in Pakistan. While former Pakistan prime Minister Imran Khan is in Jail in various cases slapped against him, experts predict that Prime Minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif is likely to come back to power for the fourth time. Sharif, who had been on a self-imposed exile in London since 2019, came back to his home country last August eyeing a fourth term for himself as the prime minister of Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif open to ties on one condition
Nawaz Sharif has recently expressed willingness to establish peaceful relationship with India and has recognised the neighbouring country's global progress. However, his party's manifesto states a commitment to pursue peace with India only if New Delhi reverses its decision to revoke Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The new government in Pakistan, likely to be led by Nawaz Sharif, will definitely try to establish peace talks with India. Sharif had tried to normalise ties with India in 1999 and 2015. In May 2014, Sharif had attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. Indian PM Narendra Modi visited Pakistan in December 2015 and attended a wedding in Sharif’s family in reciprocation. That was the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian prime minister since 2004.
Above all leaders, influence of Army in Pakistan
However, one should not overlook the fact that irrespective of who is in power in Pakistan, their powerful Army and the ISI, which together constitute the ‘deep state’ is actually taking all the calls. Nawaz Sharif too had experienced what Imran Khan was put through as they both has tried to take on the Pakistan Army. Coincidently,
Meanwhile, a Moneycontrol report said that a significant achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy has been the marginalisation of Pakistan in India's diplomatic agenda, a strategy that has proven effective thus far. This approach allows India to remain unaffected about changes in leadership in Pakistan.
