PM Narendra Modi (L) and Pak PM Imran Khan (R)

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Pakistani PM Imran Khan that “creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism were essential for fostering cooperation for peace, progress and prosperity in our region”, outlining the terms of engagement with Islamabad in his second term.

The conversation between Modi and Khan was their first after India’s air strikes in Balakot targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp exactly three months ago and after a long election season in India where the military action was a prominent part of the poll discourse with BJP taking credit for its “tough” stance on terrorism.

Khan telephoned Modi to congratulate him after his big election victory on Sunday but Pakistani and Indian readouts of the conversation emphasised different aspects of the exchange, showing the gulf between the neighbours over what are the key issues.

India made it clear that end to terrorism and violence was a condition for dialogue to start, in keeping with the Modi government's preparedness to retaliate against terrorism and its crackdown on Pakistan-aligned elements in the Kashmir Valley.

The Pakistan foreign office spokesperson quoted Khan as saying, “Reiterating his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Modi to advance these objectives.” Earlier, Khan had congratulated Modi on Twitter over his election victory on May 23 and Modi had acknowledged the gesture.

Modi and Khan are expected to meet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in mid-June at the SCO summit, the first multilateral outing for Modi after his re-election. A day before the formal announcement of results, foreign ministers of Pakistan and India held an unexpected informal meeting at the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathering in Kyrgyzstan.

Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he had conveyed to Swaraj Pakistan’s desire to resolve all issues through dialogue. This was the first FM-level interaction between the two countries since Khan took office last year. The interactions between the two countries have been sporadic. Khan's assumption of office did not lead to much progress, partly put down to elections in India. The possibility of engagement remains open but India is unlikely to dilute its focus on terrorism.

Internally, the government is expected to pay attention to fresh elections to the J&K assembly later this year and will, on a political level, continue to take a stand against Article 35 which allows J&K to frame residency laws. BJP sees it as discriminatory but Valley parties NC and PDP stoutly defend it.

There is a lot of speculation about Modi inviting foreign leaders again for his swearing in ceremony on May 30. But the readout of the Modi-Khan conversation made it clear that no such invitation was made to Khan. Pakistan has featured in the election campaign, with Modi’s decision to retaliate militarily against a terror attack finding huge resonance among the people, cementing his profile as a man of action, particularly against Pakistan-sponsored terror.

Meanwhile, Modi took congratulatory calls from many world leaders through the weekend.

On Sunday, he spoke to former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed and former Nepal PM Madhav Nepal, apart from Khan. On Saturday, he spoke with Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, German chancellor Angela Merkel, outgoing British PM Theresa May and former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.



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