What can India expect from newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan?

Imran Khan came victorious in the 2018 Pakistan elections and took his oath on 18^th August 2018, after losing both 2008 and 2013 elections against former Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff. With a democratic leader coming into power there can be expectations of certain changes in the India-Pakistan relations. In his first speech after winning the elections he indicated that he looks forward to improving relations with India by focusing on better economical and commercial ties improving the trade of both countries and also discuss the core issue- Kashmir without the interference of the military. He asked both the countries to put an end to the blame game and resolving the issue by coming to the table with an open mindset. The issue here is like all other politicians, Imran Khan as well has changed his statements with respect to India post winning the elections. Indians are skeptical about his statements on India because his decisions for the country might be influenced by the Pakistani army and right-wing Islamist groups whose support and backing he enjoys. Also, Imran Khan has used anti-Indian statements in his elections campaigns to gain votes. In his speech he conveniently did not mention the cross-border terrorism or for that matter any kind of terrorism which is one thing that worries India as a nation. There are speculations that he has closer ties with Pakistani Army, as the army supports him. Under such situations it is difficult to judge if Indo-Pak relations will improve at all but it will surely not deteriorate. One more threat for India is that in the first speech he also mentioned developing extremely stronger ties with China especially the one including China-Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC). Under Imran Khan’s leadership, China is expected to play a bigger role in bringing economic stability in Pakistan now. Together China and Pakistan are already a huge threat hanging on India and with such statements from the Prime Minister it can be interpreted that the threats will be more real and bigger. In my opinion, India should welcome any positive development and any move that helps in improving the relations with Pakistan. Over the years, the rivalry has damaged both the countries economically and politically along with countless number of deaths. India, under the governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hoping that the change in leadership would bring in peace between both countries. On a concluding note I would like to say that Imran Khan might do wonders to the economy of Pakistan but for India Pakistan’s foreign policy with India and the power of its army matters more than the Pakistan’s economy. However, it is yet to see whether the idea of ‘Naya Pakistan’ is a successful one under the leadership of Imran Khan and how much Prime Minister Imran Khan achieves from the promises he made during the election mandate.