India-Pak ties hit another hurdle

With Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ouster, the Pakistan Army seems to have got what it wanted, and the going may get tougher for India to deal with its difficult western neighbour.

However, the next Pakistani Prime Minister, who will be hand-picked by Mr. Sharif, is expected to be his own brother Shahbaz Sharif who is currently the Chief Minister of Pakistani Punjab — according to Pakistan media reports — and this scenario could be India’s best bet since it will mean continuity in the policies of Pakistan’s civilian leadership.

The widely-held perception both in Pakistan and India was that Nawaz Sharif was India’s best bet since he was seen as being soft on India.

But despite that, he was hamstrung by the hawkish Pakistani security establishment that distrusted his every move since PM Modi has an excellent personal equation with Mr. Nawaz Sharif and members of his family. Nevertheless, Mr. Nawaz Sharif ’s successor will be under more pressure to toe Rawalpindi’s line.

The Pakistan Army never forgave Mr. Sharif after the publication of an article in the country’s reputed Dawn newspaper last year which had highlighted the rift between the civilian government and military there over the issue of support to terror groups. The Pakistan Army had the firm belief that the article was published in the reputed Pakistani newspaper at the instance of Mr. Sharif through those linked to him.