Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa seems able to resume talks on Kashmir with India, a process that was interrupted by General Pervez Musharraf’s ouster in 2008.

What’s more, he’s happy to try and do so under Musharraf’s ‘four-point formula’, senior Pakistan Army officers told this author at the Islamabad Security Dialogue, which was persevered on April 1 and a pair.

Interestingly, on the primary day of the conference, Moeed Yusuf, who was then the national security advisor, also told the author in a casual chat that the Musharraf formula might be the premise of bilateral interaction between India and Pakistan. Yusuf resigned from his position just after Pakistan President Arif Alvi ordered the dissolution of the national assembly.

The formula, in brief, had four steps: First, both India and Pakistan identify regions that require resolution. Second, demilitarise the identified regions which are able to help bring down the amount of violence. Third, introduce self-governance or self-rule within the identified regions.

Therefore the last, have a joint management mechanism with membership consisting of Indians, Pakistanis, and Kashmiris overseeing self-governance and managing subjects common to all or any identified regions that are beyond the scope of self-governance

However, the question is, will this sentiment resonate with Bajwa’s successor too – he’s expected to serve in his position until November 2022 – or is he hoping for an additional extension?

It is noteworthy and praiseworthy that Pakistan’s first National Security Policy (NSP) made by the hybrid government of Imran Khan and General Bajwa emphasizes “human security” – meaning the nation’s development and prosperity are priorities rather than traditional defence. Since the military could be a part of the NSP, any new government in Pakistan will abide by the policy, which incorporates peace talks with India.