By : Jamil
Both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday passed unanimous resolutions against recent provocative and hostile statements by Indian leaders against Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that externally sponsored terrorism and violent extremism were grave threats to a secure and prosperous Pakistan and that the country would protect its interests at all costs. A day earlier, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, Advisor to Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Interior minister condemned the provocative statements from Indian leaders.
Army chief General Raheel Sharif warned India on Wednesday that Pakistan would defeat their designs and defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity at any cost. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed his office, India’s violations on the LoC and working boundary increased manifold. Recent statements from Indian defence minister and a junior minister are reflective of India’s war mongering and jingoism which will vitiate the atmosphere.
As if that was not enough, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Bangladesh acknowledged that his country had helped anti-Pakistan elements during the events of 1971. Pakistan has decided to call upon international community to take note of India’s admission that it carries out subversive activities to destabilise sovereign countries. Whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not hide his hatred towards Pakistan, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has had the reputation of soft-spoken intellectual and poet having a penchant for peace. But with the Award of Bangladesh Liberation War Honour conferred on Vajpayee for his active role in the country’s independence struggle and consolidating India’s friendship with the nation, he stands exposed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the award from Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on behalf of Vajpayee at a ceremony at the President’s house.
“This day is a matter of great pride for all Indians that a great leader like Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being honoured,” said Narendra Modi, adding that Vajpayee is a source of inspiration for him. There is a perception that Narendra Modi is trying to stir further tension between Pakistan and Bangladesh, and to denigrate Pakistan in the Saarc countries. Last month, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had advocated the use of terrorists to counter a terrorist threat saying: “You have to neutralise terrorist through terrorist only.” After Indian military raid in Myanamar in a hot pursuit of those involved in Manipur terror attack, Junior Minister for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said: “Based on intelligence, we will carry out surgical strikes at the place and time of our own choosing”, implying that Pakistan would also be equally dealt with.
Of course, there is many an apologist in the Pakistan’s political class, intelligentsia, media and in the civil society, who would gloss over the Indian arrogance with their familiar spurious reasoning. Some them suggested that Pakistan should not react to Modi’s statement, as he did not say anything new. But in the event Pakistan does not refute those statements, the world would assume what India says is right. At the award ceremony, Narendra Modi said that when freedom fighters of Bangladesh were shedding blood, Indians too were fighting side-by-side with them and in a way helped realise the dream of Bangladesh. He added that he was one of the young volunteers who came to Delhi to participate in a Satyagraha launched by Jan Sangh to support Bangladeshi freedom fighters in 1971. With this background one could not expect any good from Narendra Modi.
Modi, however, confessed the diabolical role of Indian military and intelligence agency RAW in a united Pakistan’s breakup with the full concurrence, rather at the directive of then ruling Indian Congress party, is no more a secret. It is now meticulously recorded history, penned down pridefully by various retired Indian military officials personally involved in the vile adventure. It is also recorded that one senior Indian military officer, Brigadier Shubeg Singh was tasked to train Mukti Bahini Guerillas for insurgency in the then East Pakistan. He was promoted to the rank of major general after Pakistan’s dismemberment. Indian leaders have been getting away with their skullduggery due to inept Pakistani governments, though to the great hurt of this nation’s name and image. Our past governments had failed spectacularly in telling the world of India’s involvement in inciting militancy in our tribal areas and instigating insurgency in Balochistan.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reiterated umpteenth time that Pakistan wants to settle all issues with India through dialogue. For a long time, Indian politicians and officials alike were loath even to accept Kashmir dispute’s existence. Even, when they showed willingness to discuss the dispute, it was invariably with a caveat that Kashmir was India’s non-negotiable integral. Way back in 1994, India’s parliament had adopted a resolution, formally laying claim to Azad Kashmir. Though the Indians are not quite vocal about it publicly, in private they do not mince words whatsoever in taking this position, not realizing that UNSC resolution bestowing the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir is still on the agenda of the UN. The fact remains that Kashmir dispute is viewed widely the world over a flashpoint that could potentially flare up into nuclear armed conflict.
Prime Nawaz Sharif had gone extra mile to attend Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony as prime minister of India. But the way India stopped secretary-level talks, after Pakistani diplomat met Kashmiri leaders before the scheduled meeting, knocked the bottom out of Indian leadership’s pretense that it wanted to resolve issues through dialogue. Addressing the UN General Assembly in September 2014, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said: “UN passed resolution 65 years ago to hold plebiscite in Kashmir. We cannot draw veil on the issue of Kashmir unless it is addressed according to the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan wants to cooperate in the resolution of Kashmir dispute for the betterment of people living in Kashmir according to their aspirations”. He defied his detractors who criticized him that he wanted to have good relations with India at any cost. He now wants to see progress on the issues that fester relations between the two countries.