Renewed border tension between India and Pakistan may delay J&K government formation

SRINAGAR: Renewed border tension between India and Pakistan may have an unintended impact: delayed government formation in J&K. With clashes claiming four lives in the past 48 hours in the state and forcing the migration of almost 2,000 people from Jammu, BJP may harden its opposition to the restoration of talks with Pakistan, a key demand of its potential ally PDP.

PDP and BJP, which won 28 and 25 seats, respectively, in the 87-member House, are conducting preliminary talks to jointly form the government. Although the two parties, dubbed ‘unnatural allies’, are inching closer to each other, the shelling may affect their dialogue. The two parties have opposing viewpoints on Indo-Pak relations. PDP had flagged early restoration of a composite dialogue with Pakistan among its key political demands.

“We are nothing without that. It is this plank that got us 28 seats in the elections as we have been consistently promising people to get the state out of uncertainty to a stable state that has no wars around,” PDP senior leader and spokesman Nayeem Akhter said.

BJP has hardened its stand on this issue, according to party insiders. The party views the demand as an intrusion in the country’s foreign policy, which can trigger similar calls by other states. Given the PDP’s stand and the issue of talks with Kashmiri separatists, insiders do not rule out the possibility of government formation getting delayed by more than a fortnight.

“What is the harm even if there is a brief spell of governor’s rule?” one insider said. “We cannot occupy office and be unable to deliver on key issues we sought votes for.”

Sources in the PDP said though the two parties are yet to start formal talks, back-channels have been working for more than a week now.