Shiban Khaibri
The US State Department has tried to slightly glimmer Pakistan’s desire to talk with India “on Kashmir including other outstanding issues” by calling on New Delhi to open political dialogue and schedule elections at , what it calls, the first available opportunity. On the other hand, perhaps anticipating such a viewpoint from the State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishanker trivialised the US move by saying that India was open to talks about the “issue of terrorism with Pakistan provided it is done in a civilised manner without having the gun pointed at my head.” What locus standi or any stake did Pakistan have in the issue of India revoking the special status to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 that she is beating her chest and pulling its hair. The only stake is the imminent doom and the failure of its long drawn proxy war of terrorism backed by extreme levels of exploitation of religion culminating into seemingly inelastic radicalisation in Kashmir valley. If Pakistan is upping its activities to stoke the tensions between the two countries over an internal issue of constitutional or administrative adjustments by India in a part of its territory , it was doing so to imperil its own interests and prospects of de-escalating the situation, the US trying to indulge in a flip -flop postures, notwithstanding.
Following the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the restrictions were necessarily to be reluctantly placed to prevent and abort Pakistani mischief and diabolical designs through her proxies and terrorists in the valley. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is absolutely right in making proper diagnosis about the basic cause of intermittent problems in the valley. That precisely is the instrument of terror which Pakistan was using to create unrest in Kashmir. The arrest of two Pakistani terrorists and their confessions followed by more arrests in the Valley on September 8 pointed out to the foolproof evidence of Pakistan losing the “opportunity” to stoke disturbances and violence on a large scale in the valley. That move of Pakistan has totally failed and that obviously troubles that country.
Not only that, as per reports 230 terrorists were recorded in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and most of whom had sneaked across the border to create violence in Kashmir. The introduction of bangles as “humiliating punishment” is reported to have been conveyed to the terrorists whose conversations with their handlers from the other side were intercepted in case they failed to do something big and not doing “their job properly”. The credit goes to the administration which ensured that no precious life was lost even if some inconvenience due to restrictions was unfortunately felt by the people initially which now stand eased progressively considerably. The reports are that nearly 93 per cent of the geographical area of the State was free of any restrictions. So all the fuss about the issue created by Pakistan is in respect of its failure to arouse and exploit public sentiments in Kashmir to create large scale disturbances as the same being not only pre-empted but scrubbed and nullified ab-initio on account of these ‘restrictions’.
Not allowing shopkeepers to open shops and target a few people, killing a shop owner and in another incident attacking a family injuring many including a child coupled with pasting ‘warning posters’ on walls etc are bouts of frustration of terrorists who are reduced to catching up straws for attempting survivals in imminent drowning of their designs to “avenge” abrogation of the special status which meant no barriers and conditions of any hue for Jammu and Kashmir becoming one like all other States with the Union of India and which in the scheme of things of Pakistan, meant its ‘jugular vein’ in hiccups of precarious nature. Imran Khan saying that altering the status of that “vein” posed challenges to their security and integrity, is childish and sheer political immaturity. He might have excelled on the cricket pitch but in politicking and diplomacy , he needs to undergo a refresher course since at the slight drop of hat, he keeps on referring to nukes and nuke arsenal and his team mates keep on chorusing “war” and “nuclear attacks” only and then at the same time, expect talks and perhaps, certain concessions from India. That seems ludicrous and utterly insanely deserving to be rubbished.
Referring back to the unsolicited advice of the US to India for initiating talks with Pakistan, it has itself cancelled a “secret” summit with Taliban leaders after the terrorist group claimed responsibility for the recent deadly attack in Kabul which resulted in the death of many including an American soldier . Prior to this attack in Afghanistan in a wedding ceremony , dozens of people, men women and children were killed and all fingers pointed out to only one and one direction , the same one that has been responsible for spilling innocent blood in Kashmir for the last over three decades . How can President Trump employ two yard sticks, one for his own country over his one soldier getting killed and he abandoning rather totally cancelling crucial talks with the Taliban that had reached a near decisive phase of inking of an agreement while he advises India for holding talks ignoring series of attacks by the proxies and terror mongers of Pakistan on our security forces in Kashmir.
In fact , India has been more than required sensitive and over cautious in respecting human rights and liberty and dignity even of those who deserved none for which perhaps this country used to be called as weak or a banana country. The same has been corroborated by the entire world community from time to time. Israel, very recently has in an official statement, made it abundantly clear that “India is the biggest democracy in the world, it respects individual rights, respects rule of law and we are sure that the recent development in Jammu and Kashmir was an issue internal to India.” Pakistan, on the other hand has a dismal, repressive, obnoxious and detestable record on this account . One single cogent evidence of that is the population of Hindus being nearly 21.8% in 1948 crashing down to less than 2 percent. Where have they all gone? Besides, the remaining ones are living under perpetual fear of conversions, abductions and framing under blasphemy laws in addition to being in abject poverty and as second rate citizens. The same is true of other non Muslim minorities . What is the track record of Pakistan in Baluchistan and her repressive and persecuting tactics heaped on the innocent Baluchis is known to the world. Even people in occupied Kashmir are up in arms against Pakistan’s repressive policies there and currently, unrest is widespread and phenomenal there.
After the creation of Bangladesh, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in an exclusive interview to a leading foreign writer had said , “America always thought it was helping Pakistan . But if it hadn’t helped Pakistan, Pakistan would have been a stronger country . You don’t help a country by supporting a military regime that denies any sign of democracy and what defeated Pakistan was its military regime supported by the Americans . Sometimes, friends are dangerous. We must be very careful about the help friends give us.” It is an admitted fact that currently Pakistan is ruled by the army and the ISI coupled with the pressure support of the fundamentalist extreme groups. The extension of Army chief Bajwa by as many as three years in service is a small but pointed indicator of that . In every decision and important diplomatic move, Bajwa and the other military top brass must give their acquiesce which means no difference between the military regime of 1971 and thereafter and prior to that.
In the same interview, when asked about the support of China to Pakistan , Late Gandhi said,” Well the Chinese have been more skilful than the Americans, they have had a lighter touch – had they wanted to, they could have done more for Pakistan . It was the Americans who sent the Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal , not the Chinese. So, as to take no chances, I didn’t remove our troops from the Chinese border and I never believed the Chinese would intervene by making a false move or in the danger of a third world war. If the Americans had fired a shot , if the Seventh Fleet had done something more than sit there in the Bay of Bengal, the third World War would have exploded. But in all honesty, not even that fear occurred to me.”
The travesty is that from the same Congress Party which Indira Ji led, should any leader of that Party be reportedly quoted by Pakistan in a dossier in the UN -HRC reproducing his tweets and those of the Tukday Tukday Gang in support of its move against India ? The 115 page Pakistani Dossier has been accessed to learn how “ammunition” was provided to Pakistan from here. Is that healthy politics and any patriotism? The other question is whom to talk to in Pakistan , the “Government” or the Army and what is the guarantee of the sustenance of any agreement reached in respect of subsequent governments in Pakistan . Political consistency and Diplomatic sanctity are unheard of in Pakistan.
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