Neither War Nor a One-Day Match; A Long Diplomatic Innings
DESPARDES REPORT — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Kashmir gambit has boomeranged, according to former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.
In his opinion, history would record that “PM Modi by his recent actions had actually scored a goal against himself and against India”.
“Earlier, there were three segments with different opinions in Kashmir. Firstly, those who wanted to join Pakistan under the umbrella of Hurriyat Conference; then those who wanted independence; and the third are political parties like the National Conference and the PDP which took part in elections in IOK under the Indian constitution. Mr. Modi with one stroke has united all Kashmiris against India,” he observed.
Kasuri added that Modi had effectively internationalized the Kashmir issue with his latest actions.
The former FM said the freedom struggle in Kashmir had reached a level that Indian Prime Minister Modi could not suppress it.
Kasuri was speaking at a seminar on Kashmir by a think tank in Lahore. He said ten war or near-war-like situations between the two neighboring countries had not resolved Kashmir, and whether Modi or anyone liked it or not, the dispute could only be resolved through dialogue between the two nations.
Kashmir, he said, was not like a one day cricket match but that Pakistan must be prepared for a long diplomatic innings which had commenced with a flying start with the UNGA discussion on Kashmir, and PM Khan’s meetings with various world leaders.
Kasuri felt that PM Modi had other reasons for abrogating Articles 370 and 35, besides consolidating his vote bank among Hindutuva extremists. One of the major reasons Kasuri felt was Modi’s desire to divert attention from the poor state of the Indian economy. “Just as bad economic figures were coming out and the opposition was pouncing upon the latest deterioration in GDP and the manufacturing sector. PM Modi, by his actions, diverted the attention of the Indian people from their economic conditions by creating patriotic hysteria, thus, effectively silencing the opposition and the media,” he argued.
On the way forward, Kasuri stressed the need for complete national unity at the current moment. “All political parties must rise above partisan political considerations.”
Pakistan, he said must realize that the support Kashmiris are getting from the international community is because India is unable to say that the currents situation in Kashmir was created by Pakistani non-state actors,” he added.
