Nilesh Kunwar
That Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would rake- up the Kashmir issue and attack New Delhi in his address at the UNGA was a foregone conclusion. But after widespread international criticism of Pakistan after the Uri terror attack one thought that the Mr Sharif would be a wee bit more diplomatic while broaching the Kashmir issue. However, disregarding international concerns he went about it in a cavalier manner and did just what India’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Sushma Swaraj would have been secretly praying for!
Though Sharif is not a bad orator, but the ‘fire’ in his speech at the 71st UNGA meet was completely missing. All we saw was an emotionless rendition of a badly scripted speech that was devoid of any substance due to which it failed to convince the audience. If Sharif expected that playing the ‘victim of terror’ card again the international community would condone Islamabad’s dangerous strategy of using terrorist outfits as ‘strategic assets’ then he was sadly mistaken. This theme has been used by Pakistan several times in the past but has failed to impress the international community and that’s why Sharif (or his scriptwriter) deserves full marks for displaying such brazen temerity by repeating it yet once again!
To make tall claims in a speech like Sharif did is easy but truth has an uncanny way of ultimately finding its way out and in this case it happened almost immediately. In his UNGA address, speaking from the very same podium Afghanistan Vice President Sarwar Danish outrightly trashed Sharif’s contention that Pakistan is “facilitating the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan.” By asking the audience, “”Where were the previous leaders of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda residing, and where were they killed? At this very moment, where are the leaders of the Taliban and Haqqani network located? From where and how are terrorists being trained, equipped and financed during a full-scale war?” Danish has exposed Pakistan’s double talk on terror.
In attacking New Delhi on the issue of Kashmir, Sharif made the fundamental mistake of using the ‘wrong weapon.’ By hailing Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a “young leader murdered by Indian forces,” he has elevated the status of a self confessed terrorist involved in the killing of unarmed policemen to that of a “leader” and the international community will certainly not take this kindly. This is also incriminating evidence of the fact that despite its stated position on terrorism Pakistan continues to uphold its perverted belief of ‘good terrorists’. To make things worse for himself, Sharif has gone on to state that Wani, who was killed in an encounter alongwith two other militants was “murdered by Indian forces.” When Hizbul Mujahideen has itself officially announced that Wani and his two associates were killed in an encounter with security forces, by saying that he was “murdered by Indian forces” Sharif has only decapitated his own credibility!
Surely Nawaz Sharif must also be fully aware that the UN resolutions on Kashmir passed by the UNSC are non- enforceable and therefore come what may, the UN or international community cannot ensure its implementation. Even if India agrees for a plebiscite, the same can only be conducted once Pakistan withdraws all its army and paramilitary forces from Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK). At a time when Beijing is just humoring Islamabad because of its vested interests in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which passes through PaK, can Pakistan afford to do this and risk annoying Beijing? So it is abundantly clear that Sharif’s seemingly menacing posturing on Kashmir is merely meant to appease domestic audience and the separatists. However by raising the Kashmir issue at the UN over and over again without achieving any success, Islamabad has not only demonstrated its inherently weak position in this case but also given the raison d’être for its continued support to cross border terrorism and instigating separatism in Kashmir!
What Sharif has accused New Delhi of doing in Kashmir will certainly come back with compound interest to haunt Islamabad when Ms Swaraj takes the stage to address the UNGA. The sizeable presence of protesters supporting the Balochistan freedom movement and demanding an end to atrocities being committed by the Pakistan army outside the UN headquarters is surely a sign of the shape of things to come. Hence Sharif must be prepared to listen on while Ms Swaraj provides a comprehensive insight into the tear jerking cases of rampant enforced disappearances as well as the Pakistan army’s infamous ‘kill and dump’ policy in Balochistan. It would not be surprising if New Delhi demands that an international commission should investigate the 2014 case of three mass graves containing more than 100 corpses that was discovered in Khuzdar district of Balochistan.
I’m sure that Sharif’s claims about Pakistan being a “responsible nuclear weapon state” and his ‘self-certified’ eligibility for bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers group must have had the audience at the UNGA in splits. Wasn’t Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja M Asif seen just a few days ago unabashedly saying during a TV interview that “If Pakistan’s security is threatened, we will not hesitate in using tactical (nuclear) weapons”? However on second thoughts this may not have been the case since the international community has got so used to hearing Islamabad say one thing but doing just the opposite that it may not have found Sharif’s assertions funny!
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