Media reports suggest that the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is all set to visit Pakistan in November 2012 and that the itinerary is going to be finalised during the Foreign Secretaries meet next month. Pakistan exploiting the Indian PMs obsession to visit Pakistan has cleverly clothed the invitation to coincide with Guru Nanak Devji’s birthday in November 2012 so as to remove the political sting and the uproar within India against such a visit by Indian PM against the backdrop of daily border-firings by Pakistani Forces and the creation of communal panic and violence through Emails emanating from Pakistan on the Assam issue.

India’s Pakistan policy ever since 2004 is a long and sordid saga of Pakistan appeasement from the Havana Summit, to Sharm al Shaikh to Thimpu and India ignoring Pakistan’s non-action in bringing Mumbai  9/11 attackers to book. No substantial gains to India whether political or strategic have accrued to India from its Pakistan-appeasement policies.
 
Pakistani media also suggests that to sweeten the incentive for Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit it has been let out that Pakistanis are not expecting any substantial concessions by India on controversial issues that divide the two countries. I don’t believe it. Pakistan is reputed to be good at ensnaring tactics of Indian Prime Ministers especially when insisting on ‘one-to-one‘ discussions between the two leaders.
 
From a contemporaneous review of the India-Pakistan scene a number of things stand out which militate against a visit by the Indian PM to Pakistan.
 
First and foremost is that both in India and Pakistan the domestic situation is volatile and the standing of the political heads is at its lowest credibility. Political changes in Pakistan are due in 2013 at all levels diminishing the political value of the visit by the Indian PM in terms of any substantial political gains.
 
Secondly, in Indian public perceptions, Pakistan stands low for not honouring its commitments on Mumbai 26/11. Pakistan is viewed as an enemy state in light of its disruptive attacks on India in various manifestations. The latest being where a massive psychological warfare has been launched from Pakistani soil through Emails to create communal panic and disturbance on the issue of Assam and the persecution of Rohingyyas in Myanmar. Pray one would like to know as to what is India’s connection with Rohingyyas?
 
Is India going to be converted into a proxy battleground for Pan-Islamic issues because India’s so-called secularist parties’ have to pander minority vote-banks.
 
What all of the above indicates is that Pakistan has not ceased its proxy war on India and it now incorporates technological means. Pakistan for all practical purposes continues to operate as an enemy state against India.
 
Should the Indian Prime Minister then not give up his obsession to visit Pakistan?