And you don't need to know anything about global politics or diplomacy to know that the Pak-India relationship isn't in a shape to get big things done. Nor is about to.
So there's no point in talking about Kashmire. Not now. But there is a way to do it. And it's not the way Nawaz has gone about it.
There were basically two things Nawaz had to play off each other in Ufa: terrorism and Kashmire.
Modi had made it known that it was terrorism first if talks were going to happen or else it was going to be Indian foreign policy minus Pakistain.
If that sounds stupid and self-defeating, it is. But that's for India to decide and Modi to realise.
Over here, the boys are not in favour of rapprochement and would never countenance letting Kashmire slip off the agenda.
So, to make talks happen, Nawaz had to split the difference. But he didn't. Have a look at the five points of Ufa and you'll see how Nawaz got himself in trouble:
"1. A meeting in New Delhi between the two NSAs to discuss all issues connected to terrorism.
Early meetings of DG BSF and DG Pakistain Rangers followed by that of DGMOs.
Decision for release of fishermen in each other's custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days.
Mechanism for facilitating religious tourism.
Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai case trial, including additional information like providing voice samples."
Number two is important but boring. Three and four are plain boring. One and five is where the trouble lies.
If No 1 had just read "A meeting in New Delhi between the two NSAs to discuss all issues", Nawaz would have had some wiggle room. It's the "connected to terrorism" that made it Indian.
Same thing with No 5: the "including additional information like providing voice samples" was too specific and too Indian-ish. Extra clauses can be dangerous things.
After that, the only way Ufa was not going to be vetoed by the boys was if there had been a sixth point about Kashmire -- or Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
or Samjhota. Some kind of red meat.
Nawaz should have known this. Either Ufa had to be kept vague or it had to have specificity that was not just Indian but Pak too.
Or Nawaz should have waited until the next meeting, maybe at the UNGA or one of these big international conferences.
Remember, no one expected anything out of Ufa. The best-case scenario was that things would not blow up.
Remember also that the pressure was on Modi to talk. The Americans weren't happy with him on Pakistain nor were the Europeans, and the year-long shenanigans along the LoC and Working Boundary had caused some alarm.
Nobody but nobody doubted where Nawaz stood on India. The only difference opinion-wise lay in whether he was viewed sympathetically or somewhat derisively for still, in a third stint, being unable to wrest any space from the boys.
So Nawaz had two options: either split the difference between Modi and the boys in Ufa or wait a few months more and let the outside pressure build on Modi.
He chose to be greedy. Or hasty. Or, sadly, just plain stupid.