The announcement by Prime Minister Imran in the joint session of Parliament to release captured Indian pilot has not only strengthened Pakistan’s credentials as a peace loving nation but has also put it on a higher moral pedestal in the eyes of the world community. UN, US, Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries have welcomed this sagacious move by the Prime Minister and termed it a good move towards de-escalation of tension between the two countries. Even certain sections of the Indian media have also welcomed this gesture which has caught the Indian Prime Minister off guard.
The situation that had developed as a result of the naked Indian aggression could have easily escalated into a full-fledged war between the two nuclear neighbours with all the accompanying disastrous consequences for the region and beyond besides incalculable harm to both the countries. However the restraint shown by Pakistan has helped lower the temperature to some extent.
The US intervention and efforts have also contributed to prevent further escalation. UN and Turkey also have offered to mediate between the two countries. Some countries including Saudi Arabia have initiated efforts for mediation between them and Russia has offered to host talks between Pakistan and India. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj also made a statement while in China that India did not want further escalation.The foregoing developments corroborate success of the efforts made by Pakistan on the diplomatic front to give peace another chance.
Pakistan not only condemned the Pulwama incident but also offered cooperation in the investigations assuring India that if it could provide any credible evidence to support her allegations against her it would take severe action against the perpetrators of the terrorist act. But unfortunately the Indian government instead tried to use the tragedy for reaping political advantage by fomenting anti-Pakistan feelings among the Indian masses supported by the Indian media and building war hysteria which ultimately brought the two countries to the brink of war and also left India with a bloody nose. Indian Opposition parties including Congress have also accused Modi of using the Pulwama episode for political gains. Chief of Indian extremist political party Maharashra Navnirman Sena Raj Thackery called the Indian soldiers killed in the Pulwama attack ‘political victims ’maintaining that truth would be revealed if the country’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was probed. Pakistan in response to a dossier provided by India of late has given a word to take action if the evidence was credible.
Whether Modi government would be able to reap political advantage from the post-Pulwama situation in the coming elections remains to be seen. Nevertheless one thing is quite evident that it was an extremely ill-conceived and dangerous move which could have unleashed disastrous consequence not only for the two countries but also the entire region. He clearly jeopardized Indian security for his narrow political gains. He is a man who has even done incalculable damage to the secular disposition of India through his communal politics and deliberate policy initiatives to turn India into a war-like state. Under his stewardship the Indian security forces have let loose an unprecedented reign of terror in the IoK. His government is also trying to have articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian constitutions undone to withdraw special status of the state and to change its demographic features respectively; an irritant which might give further impetus to the freedom struggle in IoK.
The real cause of conflict and enmity between Pakistan is the existence of Kashmir dispute which has remained unresolved during the last more than seventy years because of Indian refusal to fulfill her obligations towards the people of Kashmir as enshrined in the UN resolutions, her hostile posture towards Pakistan and defiance of the Simla Agreement which provided another avenue of resolving mutual disputes including Kashmir through bilateral mechanism governed by the UN Charter. India instead of trying to resolve the Kashmir issue has used the bilateral agreement to claim that it had precluded Pakistan’s right to invoke the UN resolutions on Kashmir being unmindful of the fact that UN resolutions took precedence over any bilateral arrangement on the same subject. India also has been claiming Kashmir as her integral part notwithstanding the fact that UN through its resolutions 91 and 122 repudiated the Indian claim unequivocally reiterating that the question of accession of the state could not be resolved through any arrangement except through a plebiscite held under the auspices of the UN.
Indian intransigence to resolve the Kashmir issue forced the people of IoK to launch freedom struggle in 1989. The Indian security forces have killed thousands of Kashmiris since then. The freedom struggle has gained further impetus since the killing of Burahan Wani in 2016. It is noteworthy that the Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat in an interview with Economic Times last June accepted indigenous character of the freedom struggle in IoK and suggested giving dialogue a chance. Reportedly former chief of Indian intelligence agency RAW AS Dulat in an interview with an Indian TV has said” South Kashmir is not in Indian control and aggression will further alienate people of Kashmir. Coercion will not succeed as it is a historic truth. Pakistan is a reality and there is no way out but to talk to Pakistan.”
While the efforts of the world community are welcome and a step in the right direction to defuse tension between the two countries in the backdrop of Pulwama incident, there is however an imperative need for removing the root-cause of animosity between Pakistan and India on permanent basis through the resolution of Kashmir dispute. Until and unless it is resolved in conformity with the UN resolutions peace and security in the region will remain an elusive dream. It was time for India also to recognize the ground realities in her own interest as well as for the UN and the world community to play their role in creating conditions for the people of Kashmir to exercise their right of self-determination so that no Indian adventurist like Modi could endanger the regional peace.
— The writer is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
Source: https://pakobserver.net/time-for-un-to-resolve-kashmir-dispute/
