Daily Times

The recent letter addressed to the Indian Prime Minister by his Pakistani counterpart has yielded nothing for wooing Indian orthodoxy to hold bilateral talks. These were scheduled on the eve of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly session for respective foreign ministers’. The Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman, Raveesh Kumar called Pakistan’s offer as “evil agenda”, whereupon Pakistan felt glum and bewildered, regarding India’s decision to backtrack on its commitment by cancelling the said meeting. The rhetoric employed by India, blending cynicism and hypochondria was grounded in a two-fold allegation. Firstly, because of the recent release of a series of twenty postage stamps of Burhan Wani; glorifying his struggle against Indian atrocities and hooliganism. Secondly, the killing of three border security officials.

The standpoint of the Pakistani government on this issue was that the postage stamps were not issued by the present regime rather they were issued before the 2018, general elections. Prime Minister Imran Khan showed his sheer disappointment over the cancelled meet, where India lost the opportunity of changing the dynamics of bilateral talks. Moreover, it was deplorable that offensive language was used against Pakistan’s Prime Minister by Indian external affairs office. Here in Pakistan, the irresponsible and unethical behaviour of India was observed not only with great caution but also with contemptuous disdain.

The bellicose and irresponsible statement containing jingoistic remarks by the Indian Army Chief, exposed nefarious Indian designs to the world which should fetch immediate international attention regarding New Delhi’s threatening posture. All of which has happened against Pakistan’s offering an olive branch which should not have been misconstrued as weakness. In fact, India has always been extremely prejudiced in the case of Pakistan. Moreover, it does not have a benevolent attitude towards the rest of its neighbouring countries either.

The bellicose, irresponsible and jingoistic remarks by the Indian Army Chief, exposed India’s nefarious designs to the world, which should fetch immediate international attention regarding New Delhi’s threatening posture

India has proved to be a headache for its neighbouring countries on account of its policy of expansionism and hegemonistic designs in the region. During the last four and a half years of BJP’s government, it’s foreign and security policy proved to be highly imbalanced in this region. From Maldives to Sri Lanka, Nepal and even Bhutan feel immensely insecure regarding the so-called ‘democratic and secular’ India and prefer to enhance and maintain relations with China in contrast to India. Recently, Nepal declined to participate in military exercises held in India under the banner ship of seven countries’, which was a startling jolt to India.

The refusal on Nepal’s part was pronounced 10 days after Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kathmandu and Indian foreign office beat incessant drums of its success. The Nepal government felt skeptical about Indian conduct, on the basis that Modi’s government has hatched a conspiracy to overthrow the present regime in Nepal. They had a programme to bring Nepal’s communist party chairman Pushpa Kumar Dahal as the next ruler. Nepal was concerned when the chairman of the communist party was given the reception of a head of state. He not only held talks with Prime Minister Modi, but also spoke at length with the External Affairs Ministers, Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and former prime minister, Manmohan Singh.

India was manoeuvring the Nepalese Congress opposition against the present regime, as the current Nepalese PM is considered to be pro-China and anti-India. In 2016, India blocked the border with Nepal, which resulted in the scarcity of food and other consumer items. Being a landlocked country, Nepal had to depend on India for trade and transit. The Nepalese government even took the issue with the United Nations. Although, SAARC countries have cooperated with each other in the past, however through the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), containing Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the treacherous India has been successful enough to form a comparative block against SAARC countries.

Likewise, India tried to ostracise Pakistan from Iran and Afghanistan. In 2013, Indian intelligence agencies played a pivotal role in facilitating Bhutan’s candidate for the slot of Prime Minister in general elections because the then-premier wanted to resolve the border controversies with China, for good. India stopped the supply of petrol, diesel and kerosene oil to Bhutan during these elections and when the then-PM lost the elections, the oil supply was restored to Bhutan.

Similarly, Sri Lanka has also been experiencing India’s unpleasant behaviour since 2015, as Mahinda Rajapaksa, one of its key politician, accused India of its exodus from the political arena due to orchestration of Indian secret agencies. In Bangladesh, India played a diabolical role as well by extending favours to its favourite government of Sheikh Haseena, by supplying controversial electronic voting machines used against Khaleda Zia. The Myanmar government has also been quite annoyed with the Indian policies and enjoys cautious amicable relations with India. India has always been focusing on its expansionistic designs. Towards Pakistan, India has never given any gesture of goodwill worth quoting. The atrocities unleashed on oppressed Kashmiri Muslims, which have deprived them of their right of plebiscite and self-determination, has always been on the top of Pakistan’s agenda which India has been avoiding since partition. The recent refusal to hold talks on the sidelines of UN General Assembly sessions in New York was just to escape changing the dynamics in regional politics and resolving contentious issues between the two countries.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Published in Daily Times, September 27^th 2018.