Daily Times

Had Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar taken one good look within, he would have thought twice before slashing Pakistan as the “epicentre of terrorism.” And probably reconsidered his position four, or five times before tugging at the credentials of Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Instead of creating bad publicity for Minister Bhutto-Zardari, the heated exchange at the United Nations has managed to pull the drapes off New Delhi’s facade of a moderate, secular civilisation that takes great pride in being the world’s largest democracy.

Putting the spotlight on the “Butcher of Gujarat” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his unabated viciousness in rubber-stamping the largest minority of his country as “terrorist,” our young minister rolled up his sleeves and hit a straight six; centre of the bat and flying outside the stadium. As it usually is, the gross reflection in the mirror was too much for the hawks in the neighbourhood to stomach, who have responded with an unsparing streak of rallies in different parts of Maharashtra for the past few days.

Setting fire to Pakistani flags, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and laying siege to the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi are crystal-clear manifestations of what was insinuated in New York. Increasingly frustrated, the fascist regime is fast running out of dark corners to put on its bloodied show.

All that has been done in the disputed valley of Kashmir and against the lives and livelihoods of over 172 million Muslims standing under the tri-coloured flag are a reflection of its own indulgence in using brute force to further its nefarious designs. The agenda remains the same from the very beginning: peddling a fictitious narrative of victimhood and trying the utmost best to deliver the dirtiest blow–that too, below the belt. If this is what the grandiose vision of Incredible India is, Pakistan would be better off sticking to the very commonplace ideals of peace, harmony and mutual respect. *