Can Kashmir Make To UN Once Again

Z.G. MUHAMMAD

Is Pakistan going to remind the United Nations that Kashmir Dispute is its abandoned baby- crying loudly for an immediate attention? This question popped in my mind this week on reading two columns, one by India’s iconic editor of India Today Shekhar Gupta and second by Arul Louis, an internationally known journalist and editor of ‘the New York Daily News’.

Gupta while brilliantly analyzing impact of humiliating defeat in Assembly elections of Delhi on the BJP and how true to Harold Wilson’s famous quote “a week is long time in politics” Narendra Modi surprisingly changed in 48 hours informs him about importance of the opposition for democracy. He reminds him how then Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao requested LOP Vajpayee to head the delegation to the United Nation to defend India’s position on human rights violation in Kashmir.

Pakistan backed by some Western Powers had introduced a resolution at UN in Geneva over human rights violations in Kashmir. (India Today March 2, 2015). How India ‘won its day’ and what made Pakistan withdraw the resolution is a sad story of Pakistan diplomacy’. That also needs to be talked about in this column. However, major question arises that if Gupta by referring to Kashmir making to Geneva in 1994, just wants to illustrate his point on importance of reaching out to the opposition with ‘little humility and generosity’ or he wants to remind Modi that the stalemate over Kashmir could bring Kashmir back to the Security Council.

The observance of Kashmir Day on February 5, in Pakistan this year with special fervour and passion at all levels was indicative of India-Pakistan relations becoming more Kashmir specific rather than trade oriented. “There is no solution to the Kashmir issue except a plebiscite.” Nawaz Sharif told AJK Assembly,” I make it clear to the entire world that durable peace in South Asia is linked to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute”. There has been obvious shift in his mellowed down approach to Kashmir problem that was manifest when he took over as Prime Minister and even when he attended Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony in Delhi last year. Some important Pakistan columnists including former diplomats like Munir Akram, Asif Ezedi and Shamshad Ahmed Khan have been tacitly and directly suggesting need for internationalization of the Kashmir issue and even taking it to the Security Council fresh. In a recent column former Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Shamshad Ahmed Khan emphasizing that realties cannot be changed by putting ‘arrogant’ face and all UN resolutions on Kashmir are yet to be implemented writes, “Kashmir is not a ‘real estate’ issue or a question of ‘re-demarcation’ of geographical boundaries. It is a question involving the fundamental right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people, pledged to them by the international community through solemn UN Security Council resolutions.”

It seems in Pakistan mood is building up for taking Kashmir out of the bilateral shell, in which it has remained almost entombed since 1971 and bring it back on the floor of the Security Council where it was born. Ostensibly, it seems any move for providing a seat to India on the big table in the UN can work as a catalyst for Pakistan agitating about Kashmir in the Security Council and asking some friendly countries for introducing a resolution for implementation of an ‘international agreement’ or ‘treaty’ on Kashmir signed by India and Pakistan for holding plebiscite.

It is yet another debate if Pakistan at present has the required international support needed for passing such a resolution in the Security Council. Pakistan perhaps is conscious about it not enjoying the same clout at the international level as it enjoyed in 1948, when India had complained against it in the Security Council. The United States at that time was prime mover of the resolutions that guaranteed right to self-determination for people Jammu and Kashmir and holding of plebiscite in the state. Now with Washington having entered into strategic partnership with New Delhi to contain growing influence of China in the region and Pakistan retaining its importance for the country in the post-withdrawal of US troops from Afghan it seems a difficult proposition that Washington will go beyond nudging the two countries to resume dialogue for resolution of Kashmir. Nonetheless, Pakistan has ‘signalled’ its new diplomatic push on Kashmir by sending Maleeh Lodi, ‘a high profile envoy to the United Nations’ writes Arul Louis in his recent column ‘her prime focus will be creating a clear line on Kashmir cause. In fact After Asif Zardari government had changed Munir Akram in 2008 and replaced him by Hussain Haroon and Masood Khan, Kashmir almost had been ipso facto deleted from their charter of duties of Pakistan envoys by the government in Islamabad.

Louis rightly points out, ‘Pakistan’s image problems are many: A sanctuary for terrorist organizations in a country riven by sectarian violence, and where religious fundamentalism is coming to dominate public life.’ But, he makes us believe that Maleh Lodhi with her experience of having navigated the diplomatic and political circles of Washington during difficult period of the 9/11 as ambassador will be able to refurbish the image of her country.’ Lodhi’s idea about Kashmir were known, when She was Pakistan’s High Commissioner, in London during the Musharraf’s government and through her columns after she had demitted that office she continued to focus on Kashmir and advocate its resolution in accordance with peoples fundamental right of choosing their destiny.

However, it remains to be seen, if Pakistan decides to take Kashmir to UN as it tried in 1994, as Shekhar Gupta reminds Modi. New Delhi did celebrate this resolution failing to be passed but this was not put to vote. Benazir Bhutto withdrew it at the behest of Iran. India had played its cards very well and succeeded in convincing Iran to pressurize Pakistan to withdraw the resolution. The United State’s proactive role on Kashmir after President Bill Clintons reference to the bloody war that raged from Caucasus to Kashmir’ had made Iran to look for mediator’s role between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Pakistan agreed to Iran’s suggestion and dropped the resolution. India thanked Iran for its role. ‘Iran pressure on Pakistan to withdraw the resolution was fuelled by its own desire to prevent the United States from acting as the World’s policeman and Keeping it out of the region.”

It seems during 2015 Kashmir is going to remain in focus at the UN than during some previous years.

Article was published in Greater Kashmir on 23-2-2015