With former Pakistan captain Imran Khan set to be prime minister of his country, why not send his friend and peer Sunil Gavaskar to Islamabad as our High Commissioner? This was former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat's suggestion at a Delhi Gymkhana Club function, where we recently discussed The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, our book with former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate chief General Asad Durrani. Last week's general election in Pakistan came up for discussion, where Imran's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged the single largest party in their National Assembly. In his post-win speech Imran said: "Pakistan is ready to improve ties with India. If New Delhi moves one step forward, we will move two."

India has officially "welcomed" the election, but there is widespread scepticism about improvement in bilateral relations. Partly this is due to the Pakistan army's role in Imran's rise and former PM Nawaz Sharif's downfall. The judiciary appears to have colluded in fast-tracking corruption cases against Sharif, sentencing him to ten years' imprisonment. Sharif was promptly thrown in prison on his return to Pakistan, but it did not help him electorally. Seven opposition parties denounced the election as "rigged" or "pre-rigged". Terrorist-affiliated candidates contested all seats, aimed at eroding Nawaz Sharif's votes; they could not have done so without the army's blessings (they lost). The European Union and the United States have questioned the election's fairness; the US Department of State said the poll "included constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities' state goal of a fully fair and transparent election".