During his visit to India to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif avoided meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders, a stark departure from the standard practice for any Pakistani dignitary visiting Delhi. He also emphasized the need to bury the ghosts of the past which have been haunting both countries for decades and suggested turning over a new leaf of peace, progress and prosperity. As a businessman, Sharif's focus was on trade and opportunities across the border. However, Modi was apparently not that enthusiastic about these distractions and insisted on first settling what he sees as the main irritants to friendly bilateral relations - cross border terrorism and prosecution of those involved in the Mumbai attacks. We are certain that Sharif must have put up a convincing rebuttal, however, the facts remain as such, and reality cannot be denied with rhetoric or semantics. Regardless of who started first, both countries are involved in supporting separatist groups. If Pakistan's case is weaker due to the well-established nurturing of Kashmiri separatist groups, then India has also responded in kind in Baluchistan, although Pakistan is still unable to prove the accusation. In short, nothing will move forward until both countries come clean and agree to rein in the extremist groups which they support, otherwise the blame game will continue and the general public will be the ones who suffer. Both countries need to go for an out-of-the-box approach – completely cut off aid and support to extremist groups, sideline the Kashmir issue and other such claims for the next decade, and open up the borders to let members of the general public meet each other. Only when this is done will they know who the real enemy is. Masood Khan, By email
