Senator Sherry Rehman
Credit: X/@sherryrehman
Islamabad: A senior Pakistani politician and leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday said Pakistan may become an 'external' factor in Indian politics after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led alliance won less-than-expected seats in the general elections.
Senator Sherry Rehman, in a statement on social media X, delved into Pak-India ties and other issues, a day after the results of the general elections in India were announced.
"Will Modi's setback make him focus a little more on stabilising the region and seeking peace with Pakistan? That will depend on a huge shift in narrative and although brand Modi is down, it is not out,” Rehman, who has served as Pakistan's Ambassador to the US from 2011 to 2013 wrote.
"In fact, policy towards Pakistan may become an ‘external’ factor to rally real domestic losses. Pakistan featured way more heavily in the Modi campaign than India ever does now in a Pakistan election. This despite all the talk that his focus is now on the Indo-Pacific region,” she elaborated.
Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Indian Parliament suspended Article 370 on August 5, 2019, a decision that Islamabad believed undermined the environment for holding talks between the neighbours.
India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.
Islamabad and New Delhi have a long history of strained relations, primarily due to the Kashmir issue as well as the cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Talking about the change in Indian politics after the elections she asked “Has India changed existentially after this election?” and then responded by saying: “It is too early to say. The next upcoming state elections should be watched.”
The PPP, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto, in its reaction to the Indian election through its official X handle stated that the election showed that the people of India rejected the politics of hatred.
“Indians rejected Modi's politics of hate and put the brakes on his slogan to cross four hundred seats,” the PPP, which is a coalition partner of the current Pakistan government led by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, said.