Can Shehbaz Sharif help thaw Pakistan-India ties as Kashmir remains sticking point?

PM Sharif has said he’s willing to enhance ties with India, in a sign ties between the neighbours could be on the upswing

But analysts say disputed Kashmir remains a sore issue, while Sharif needs a ‘national consensus’ to change China-friendly Pakistan’s policy on India

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a guard of honour ceremony in Islamabad on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:00pm, 7 Mar 2024Updated: 7:57pm, 7 Mar 2024

A thaw in long-standing tensions between India and Pakistan could come with a change of the guard in Islamabad, but political pundits warn the neighbours must first tackle unresolved issues and their complex history.

While newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his inaugural address last Sunday had likened Indian-administered Kashmir to Gaza, calling for a resolution to “free both regions”, he also committed to enhancing relations with all major nations, “including the country’s neighbours”.

He added Pakistan would not become part of any “great game” and that his government would increase the number of allies, as well as “keep ties with neighbours on the basis of equality”.

Former Indian diplomat Ajay Bisaria told This Week in Asia he was cautiously optimistic there would be progress between both nations in the latter half of the year.

“In the next three months, India will be watching Pakistan carefully. Now the onus is on Shehbaz Sharif to get the army on board and make some new moves towards India,” he said.

Compared with ousted Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, who often made inflammatory remarks against Indian Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi, the Sharif family is perceived to have a more favourable view of New Delhi.

Modi extended congratulations to Shehbaz on social media a day after he was sworn in, while his brother, three-time Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif, attended the swearing-in ceremony of Modi during his first term in May 2014. In a reciprocal gesture, Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan in December 2015 and attended the wedding of Sharif’s granddaughter in Lahore.