New Delhi, Oct.3 (ANI): There seems to be no stopping Pakistan from digging its own grave on the Kashmir issue. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faced considerable embarrassment for his unfortunate address during the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). International media did not have a single good word to say for the same.
A series of immature statements on the same lines have recently emanated from the foreign office of that country. Such statements will serve no purpose other than to further degrade the credibility of the Sharif-led PML-N Government.
At the UNGA, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stirred a fair degree of antipathy by adopting a monotonous, oft-repeated stand on Kashmir. He described the breakdown in talks between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan as a "missed opportunity", and went on to parrot the tried and tested formula on Kashmir - right of self determination, unfullfilled promise of holding a plebiscite etc. He did so knowing full well that nothing would come out of it. He felt no compunction in wasting the time of the august body and the world leaders present there.
It is common knowledge that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is a master at skirting over political issues; he would never be so blunt! It is, therefore, quite obvious that his speech was scripted to the last coma by the Pakistan Army. After having delivered his address, he hurried back home to see if his masters were satisfied with his performance and willing to give him and his government the much needed lease of life.
The Pakistan Army seems to be rattled by the negative vibrations that its crude policy generated in the UNGA. Instead of carrying out a course correction, it has directed its 'vassal' government to step up the anti-India rhetoric.
The latest statements emanating from Pakistan's Foreign Office are terming Kashmir a "legal issue," whereby, plebiscite is an unfinished agenda of the United Nations.
The spokesperson of the foreign office further talks of Indian "inflexibility" on the Siachen issue and the "routine nature of the consultations with separatists" that derailed the foreign secretary-level talks.
At the UNGA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi disappointed all those looking out for huge drama in the wake of the statement made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He chose to brush aside the topic rather disdainfully.
"Raising it (Kashmir) at the UN, won't resolve bilateral issues," was his caustic remark.
Thereafter, he did not refer to the matter at all throughout his stay in the United States. India did not even exercise her right to reply option, thus making it very clear that it remained unaffected by the reference made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It is this brush-off that has motivated the "needling" that the Pakistan Government is now indulging in; a typical reaction from their military establishment.
A riposte from Pakistan to the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came from terror monger and most wanted international criminal, Hafiz Saeed, who seems to have taken over as the ex-officio foreign minister of the country so far as India is concerned.
"India is herself responsible for instability in the region, while perpetual peace cannot be achieved until the Kashmir issue is resolved. We appreciate Nawaz Sharif's straight forward and commendable statement on Kashmir at the UNGA. It represents national aspirations in verbatim," Hafiz Saeed is reported to have said.
"The speech given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is merely throwing dust in the eyes of the world on the atrocities carried out on Kashmiri's." he reportedly added for good measure. It cannot get more obnoxious than this!
As things stand now, it is quite apparent that the positivity generated at the time of the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quite misplaced, and it is "dirty business as usual" on the Kashmir front so far as Pakistan is concerned.
The bottom line is that the Pakistan's Kashmir policy has been wholly and irrevocably wrested from the Nawaz Sharif-led government by the Pakistan Army and its Jihadi partners.
It stands to logic, therefore, that India will have to contend with continued ceasefire violations, infiltration attempts and terrorist activities in the hinterland of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has already made its intentions clear by indulging in a ceasefire violation in the Poonch sector. There is also no doubt left that the infamous Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) will continue using its assets in Kashmir to spread discontent and engineer social disruption.
The unfortunate writing on the wall is that Pakistan will continue with these activities regardless of the humanitarian crises on both sides of the Line of Control due to the unprecedented floods and inundation. The architects of terror have no love lost for the common man in Kashmir and are not guided by such compassionate considerations. No situation, however bad, can stop them from their malevolent designs directed towards Jammu and Kashmir.
It would be beneficial for India to adopt a dynamic two pronged policy to deal with the emerging situation. The first prong should make the spread of terror too costly for the adversary. The second prong should concentrate on increasing awareness levels about the actual situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.
A loud and clear message should be sent to the terror recruits in Pakistan that they would face certain death while making an infiltration attempt. A fear psychosis should be created in their minds. At the same time, the actual "legal aspects" should be communicated across the world; the fallacies surrounding role of the India Army in Jammu and Kashmir, Article 370 and state suppression etc should be exposed.
The duplicity of the self serving supporters of foreign sponsored terror in Jammu and Kashmir should be laid bare. The manner in which the youth is being misinformed, misguided and exploited should be uncovered.
The need of the hour is to wrest the initiative from terror mongers and get into the driving seat of this fight against forces of evil.
Jaibans Singh is Editor www.defenceinfo.com. E-Mail - jaibanssingh@gmail.
