IT is difficult to imagine a single small gesture reducing decades-old hostility between two archrivals. Yet, such a moment was witnessed recently when Alok Dimri, India’s national coordinator for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, visited Islamabad for a meeting. Talking to the state media, he said he was happy to be in Pakistan. It was a simple statement, but perhaps one that may ease some of the cross-border bitterness.

Mr Dimri said this while visiting the National Council of Arts in Islamabad. The heritage, art, and culture that Pakistan and India share have repeatedly fallen victim to toxic narratives designed to provoke hate. Yet the cultural link carries a powerful sense of mutual belonging. It may be premature to read too much into the Indian delegate’s visit or to view his words as evidence of a thaw after last May’s stand-off. Still, the episode offers some hope: if leaders on both sides choose to move forward, the dialogue could quickly regain momentum.

However, optimism should be tempered — as should any expectation that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Islamabad to attend the SCO summit. If he did, it would be a miracle, and the biggest surprise in decades — even bigger than Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Islamabad in 1988 to attend the Saarc summit or Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s arrival in Lahore in 1999. Both occasions had generated enormous hope for peace between the two neighbours. What actually followed is a familiar story.

Another miracle would be if Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Islamabad SCO summit next year. Pakistan is more curious about this........

© Dawn