Pakistan’s Letter Diplomacy and Kashmir

PUNCHLINE

Pakistan’s Letter Diplomacy

By

Z.G. Muhammad

Kashmir has been converted into blood tarn. In the recent history, the past forty-three days have been the goriest and the barbaric. More than 1.3 billion pellets, thousands of bullets, teargas shells and pepper gas cartridges have been fired killing sixty-eight and wounding over ten thousand civilians- scores disabled for life.  Every day, more than two hundred and fifty people at an average are wounded. In the seventy years, history of the struggle for the right to self-determination for the first time more than five hundred children, teenagers and youth were fired with pellets in eyes and pushed into darkness for rest of their life. In the twentieth century, largely seen a century of decolonization, freedom struggles and people’s struggles for rights across the globe there is no instance of the barbaric practice of gouging the eyes of children and blinding them- it was not done in Algeria or Vietnam.

The ongoing bloodbath in Jammu and Kashmir calls for holding a special session by the United Nations Human Rights Commission for ending the killing and blinding civilians. It also calls for the United Nation Security Council to take out the Kashmir Dispute from its cupboards and place it on the table during the coming session in September 2016 session for passing a resolution on Kashmir. Moreover, asking India and Pakistan to abide by 1948, 1949   ensuring the peaceful and democratic resolution of the Dispute.

These resolutions beyond any shade of doubt recognize the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir as it stood on August 14, 1947, that includes all the five regions as a disputed territory.    India and Pakistan, for having agreed to this resolution are bound to implement them in letter and spirit. The two countries have a right to call upon the UN Security Council or any of its affiliated organizations including the UN Human Rights Commission to debate and discuss human rights violations in the State. Equally, the two countries have a right to ask the Security Council to identify ways and means for resolving the Kashmir Dispute- one of the longest pending on its agenda.

On India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for needling Pakistan mentioned Baluchistan- as good a state of Pakistan as    Maharashtra is of India – where hate is growing against all non-Maharashtrians and slogans like Maharashtra is for Maharashtrians resounded everywhere- that could any time grow into graduate to demand a separate nationhood.  ‘In mentioning Baluchistan in the Independence speech’ as rightly pointed by a New Delhi commentator, ‘not much an application of mind had gone.’ The subject of this column is not Narendra Modi’s statement on Baluchistan and its dynamics but Kashmir.  In his speech he also talked about Gilgit and AJK  (Pakistan Administrated Kashmir). He also mentioned about the human rights violations on the other side of the Ceasefire Line (LOC). If Modi genuinely feels that there is unrest on the other side of Kashmir, he should immediately call for the implementation of the UN resolutions for holding a plebiscite in the entire State of Jammu. Or if he believes that there are a grave human rights violation in the other half of Kashmir, he should call for a  holistic appraisal of the human rights situation on both the sides of the LOC by the UNHRC.

In fact, it has been India that called for the holding of a plebiscite in the state immediately after the landing of troops at Srinagar aerodrome on October 27, 1947.   Five days after the landing of Indian troops, first Governor-General of India, Lord Mountbatten reached Lahore with a proposal for the Governor-General of Pakistan M.A. Jinnah ‘promising giving an undertaking for the withdrawal of troops from the state and suggesting holding of a plebiscite in the state under the supervision of the United Nations. Two months later, New Delhi took Kashmir Dispute to the United Nations, causing thereof the resolutions giving the people of the State right to decide their future through a plebiscite. The resolution also renamed the Kashmir Dispute as India-Pakistan Dispute, thus made the two countries party to the Dispute.

Pakistan like India as a party to the   Dispute has an equal right to invoke the relevant UN resolution for asking the Security Council to ensure ending of the human rights violations in Kashmir. It also has right to ask the august body to see its resolutions executed by the two countries. Given to human rights situation as has been obtaining on our side of the LOC people in Jammu and Kashmir believed,  Islamabad through its robust diplomacy will work towards making United Nations agree to hold a special session on Kashmir. In 2015, when India-Pakistan exchanged heavy fire, the New York Times in its editorial 19 August 2015 had rightly observed, “the disputed region of Kashmir remains a dangerous flashpoint. That could spiral out of control and set off another war between the two nuclear-armed adversaries.’ Instead of working towards bringing Kashmir to the UN table, the political leadership in Pakistan decided against the majority view in its foreign office by taking to letter diplomacy.

The letter diplomacy that started with Pakistan Foreign Secretary inviting his counterpart for talks on Kashmir immediately after the Quetta attack in which seventy people died sends a wrong signal to the beleaguered people of Kashmir and Muslim majority areas of Jammu.  Interestingly enough, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz while extending an olive branch to India also blamed India and Afghanistan intelligence agencies for the attack on the Quetta hospital. This sent a message that letter diplomacy was started not from a point of strength but weakness. New Delhi in its hard-hitting reply out rightly rejected proposed talks on Kashmir.  “Pakistan was conveyed that Government of India rejects in their entirety the self-serving allegations regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir which is an integral part of India where Pakistan has no locus standi.”

Notwithstanding, New Delhi turning down  talks on Kashmir Pakistan on Saturday 20 August 2016, replied the hard-hitting letter inviting Indian Foreign Secretary by end of August  to discuss the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, with a view to finding a fair and just solution, as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.”  There are indications that to get focus off from the situation in Kashmir and to offset the nudging from the United Nations, and Washington-New Delhi may agree to send its Foreign Secretary to Islamabad at the end of the August. These talks may be seen as a thaw in India-Pakistan relations. Nevertheless, they are bound to fail and procrastinate the Kashmir Dispute. Furthermore,   bail out New Delhi. To deflate adverse international press and opinion New Delhi, it seems will sending Foreign Secretary to Pakistan and make all out efforts not to discuss Kashmir. Even, if it agrees, it will discuss Kashmir in as much its concerns are concerned and not beyond. There all possibility of another faux pas by Sartaj Aziz- to the disappointment of Kashmiris.

Tailpiece: The only way out for resolving the Kashmir Dispute is through a referendum whether you adopt Jinnah’s November 1, 1947, three point formula or the UN resolutions. ZGM

Published in Greater Kashmir On 22-8-16