Lahore: “Even though the chance was missed, we should try again,” says Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan when asked about Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 1999 ‘bus yatra’, a bold attempt by the then Indian prime minister to put India-Pakistan relations on the peace track.
Vajpayee took a bus ride to Lahore on February 19, 1999. He and Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif signed the Lahore Declaration after a historic summit here. The agreement signalled a breakthrough, but just months later a Pakistani intrusion led to the Kargil War.
Wednesday is Vajpayee’s 100th birth anniversary.
“Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore in 1999 was a defining moment. Even though the chance was missed, we should try again. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who follows Vajpayee’s vision, leading India, and Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz’s brother, in charge in Pakistan, there is a real possibility of restarting the peace process,” says Khan, who is a senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Khan says the future of the region depends on free trade and unrestricted movement between countries.
“Peace in the region is not just a good idea – it is necessary for growth and prosperity,” the Punjab Speaker adds.
Another senior PML-N leader from Punjab, Mohammad Mehdi, describes Vajpayee’s Lahore visit as historic. He believes the visit could have led to lasting peace if the Kargil conflict had not happened.
“The Western media paid a lot of attention to Vajpayee’s visit because it came just months after both countries became nuclear powers,” Mehdi says, referring to nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan in May 1998.
“There was excitement, especially within PML-N ranks, when Vajpayee arrived in Lahore in February 1999. His speech, saying ‘Pakistan is a reality, and both countries now need to move forward and leave the past behind,’ gave hope to many,” Mehdi recalls.
Unfortunately, the Kargil conflict happened soon after, and the peace efforts were unsuccessful, he says.
Mehdi says Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) held protests during Vajpayee’s visit, which many believe were organised by the military led by General Pervez Musharraf.
“Jamaat-i-Islami workers even attacked the Turkish ambassador’s car near Lahore Fort, mistaking it for an Indian delegation,” he says.
Mehdi believes back-channel talks between Pakistan and India are still happening.
“Right now, relations between the two countries are at their lowest point. Neither country has an envoy in the other’s capital. However, businessmen on both sides desperately want to restore ties to improve trade and use shorter routes through Pakistan to reach Central Asia and Europe,” he says.
Political expert Brig (retd.) Farooq Hameed says Nawaz Sharif should have involved the powerful Pakistan Army in the peace process.
“The initiative failed because the military was not consulted, which led to the Kargil conflict and ended the peace process. If Nawaz Sharif had taken the military on board before Vajpayee’s visit, the chances of the peace talks being successful would have been higher.”
Hameed says Nawaz has repeatedly shown interest in improving ties with India, including his desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi after returning to Pakistan last year from a four-year self-imposed exile in London. However, he pointed out, that Nawaz’s younger brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has not made any recent public statements indicating a similar desire.
“Nawaz should first consult Shehbaz, who enjoys the military establishment’s favour, to determine if he shares this vision for improved relations with India,” he says.
He also notes the lack of progress after Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar visited Pakistan recently.
“Most Pakistanis are not anti-India. Unlike in India, politicians here do not need to criticise India to win elections,” Hameed says.
However, terrorism remains a major obstacle to reconciliation, he says.
India has often accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism, while Pakistan now blames India for terror attacks in Balochistan.
