Open Letter to Indian PM Narendra Modi

Excellency Damodardas Narendra Modi,

Greetings.

It would have been a great honour for us in Pakistan to personally welcome you at the SCO meeting. While we regret your absence, we deeply appreciate your government’s positive gesture in sending Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, to represent India at the SCO summit held here.

In this spirit, we propose that the current leadership of both India and Pakistan seize this opportunity to foster peace in our region. We suggest adopting a new approach identifying the core, complex issues that require trust to be resolved and, for a decade, freezing all disputes that cannot be immediately addressed.

During this period, India and Pakistan can focus on restoring full diplomatic and friendly relations. Confidence-building measures could include a gradual withdrawal of troops from the Line of Control (LoC), visa-free travel for citizens, enhanced trade opportunities for businesses, and cultural exchanges. Additionally, easing restrictions on sports, cultural visits, and media access between our two nations would help promote mutual understanding and goodwill.

A temporary “no-war pact” could be established, including a 90% reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir and a full withdrawal from the Siachen region for the next ten years. To prevent any misunderstandings or escalations, joint patrolling of the LoC by Indo-Pak troops alongside UN observers should be considered as part of this peace initiative. Such measures would not only ease tensions but also unlock immense economic potential for millions in both countries.

Your Excellency, the common people of India and Pakistan are tired of the ongoing hostility between our two closest neighbors. They desire peace and prosperity, as demonstrated by the gratitude Indian farmers have shown towards Mr. Asif Sharif, a renowned Pakistani agricultural expert whose guidance has greatly improved their chemicals free farming practices. This shared human connection highlights the potential for collaboration, rather than conflict, to improve lives across the subcontinent.

Now, we are presented with a rare and golden opportunity. It is time for the leadership of both nations to come together to eradicate poverty, hunger, and disease, as Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has often advocated. Let us work hand in hand to realize the dreams of peace for over 1.5 billion people.

This opportunity for peace may not come again for decades. It is crucial that India’s political and military planners recognize that strategies based on low-intensity conflict, covert operations, or “offensive-defense” tactics are obsolete in the face of nuclear realities. Both nations, being nuclear-armed, must evolve beyond these outdated paradigms. The specter of mutually assured destruction (MAD) necessitates a fresh vision focused on preventing any nuclear provocation, regardless of no-first-use policies or retaliatory doctrines.

If Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi can share a Nobel Peace Prize for their dedication to education and child rights, imagine how history will honor the courage of Narendra Modi and Shahbaz Sharif in resolving the challenges of poverty, disease, and illiteracy for over 1.5 billion people in the region.

Excellency, war brings only death and devastation, while peace brings hope, prosperity, and happiness. We should aspire for India and Pakistan to live not as divided as Korea, but united in a spirit of cooperation, like Europe.

With best wishes and kind regards,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore, Pakistan.