Kashmir-first policy has brought nothing but misery: Pakistani academic

Pakistan's 'bleed India with a thousand cuts' policy is in a shambles today, said Hoodbhoy

Pakistan's Kashmir policy "has brought nothing but misery all around", a Pakistani academic said in comments published on Saturday.

And Pakistani diplomats who represent Islamabad's position in the world's capitals know the world doesn't care about Kashmir, Pervez Hoodbhoy said in a commentary in Dawn.

"Thoughtful Pakistanis must realise that their country's Kashmir-first policy has brought nothing but misery all around. Using proxies has proven disastrous," Hoodbhoy said.

He said a partial realisation of this had led to the detention of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leaders "but Pakistan's Army must crack down on all Kashmir-oriented militant groups" in Pakistan.

"Such groups are a menace to Pakistan's society and armed forces," he added.

Hoodbhoy, who teaches mathematics and physics in Lahore and Islamabad, said the excesses committed by Pakistan-based mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir "eclipsed those of Indian security forces.

"The massacres of Kashmiri Pandits, targeting of civilians accused of collaborating with India, destruction of cinema houses and liquor shops, forcing women into the veil and revival of Shia-Sunni disputes, severely undermined the legitimacy of the Kashmiri freedom movement.

"Pakistan's 'bleed India with a thousand cuts' policy is in a shambles today and jihad is an ugly word in the world's political lexicon."