Daily Times

Speaking in the National Assembly during a debate on the LoC situation, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, said, “Pakistan is ready for a dialogue with India on the condition that Kashmir dispute is part of it…Pakistan is fully capable of defending its borders and will not accept any Indian influence or hegemony under any circumstances.”

The fact that only 60 out of 342 members were present to discuss such an important issue of Kashmir, which Pakistan considers its jugular vein, only showed the seriousness of the parliamentarians. They appear to be more interested in increasing their salaries, perks and privileges than discussing issues of national importance. Anyhow, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reiterated for the umpteenth time that Pakistan wants to settle all issues with India through dialogue even when his gestures are not reciprocated by his counterpart, Narendra Modi.

But how long will he and his aides keep harping on this tune to international community’s great fun and to their own peoples’ humiliation? Has anyone taken a pause and pondered whether Indians also want a negotiated settlement of the issues; and more crucially, if they want to settle them at all?

Just consider this. For a long time, Indian politicians and officials alike loathed the idea of accepting the existence of the Kashmir dispute. When under pressure, they started expressing a willingness to discuss the dispute, it was done invariably with the caveat that Kashmir is India’s non-negotiable integral part. And they have more than once said that they wanted to discuss Azad Kashmir. In 1994, India’s parliament had adopted a resolution, formally laying claim to Azad Kashmir. In December 2013, Sharif had underscored in a media interview the imperative need of resolving Kashmir dispute through negotiations.

And Sharif had stated innocuously that if left unresolved, it could explode into a nuclear war. He was not alone in saying that. The dispute is viewed, the world over, as a flashpoint that could potentially flare up into a nuclear-armed conflict. But then India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh threw tantrums and taunted Nawaz Sharif that Kashmir was India’s part, and a hubristic ally accosted him that Pakistan could not win a war against India in Kashmir during his lifetime.

So why has the Islamabad hierarchy been deluding itself and befooling this country’s people when bitter realities are so obvious? Our rulers must realise that when it comes to Pakistan, it is the overbearing Indian establishment that decides what kind of relationship India would have with Pakistan. Secondly, not normalisation of relations with Pakistan but getting it declared a terrorist state is the objective of the Indian establishment.

If the policy makers in Pakistan think that by offering talks and dialogue they will amuse or impress the world community, they are crying in the wilderness. Nobody is rushing to them with peace prizes in hand. Nobody is even listening to them because of Pakistan’s dire economic straits. Its imports are about twice more its exports showing a trade deficit of more than $21 billion. Even remittances of $20 billion by Pakistani expatriates could not help address the current account deficit. Pakistan is spending much more than its tax and non-tax revenues, leading to a fiscal deficit. The US and the west know that Pakistan would need their help for its bailout otherwise it could default because of the debt mountain, which has accumulated so far. Yet, our rulers feel that they can attract the world attention to the barbaric acts of Indian forces in Kashmir.

One also wonders about the statement by politicos and analysts that India is flaring up tension on the Line of Control to divert the attention of the world from the recent uprising in Kashmir. In fact, the world knows about brutalities and atrocities committed on the people of Kashmir, and also violations on the LoC. But nobody will censure India, as it is too big with a lot of allurements, attractions and incentives for the international community. Big powers want to sell high-tech and sophisticated weapons to India, which has allocated more than 100 billion dollars for the purpose; thus they in no event would annoy India for the sake of Pakistan. As regards resolution of the Kashmir dispute, many rounds of dialogue were held in the past including Composite Dialogue from 2004 to 2008. At least once, efforts were made to find out an of the box solution during the Musharraf era.

In December 2006, the Guardian referring to then-president Pervez Musharraf had reported: “Pakistan could be willing to give up its claim to Kashmir if India agrees to a self-government plan for the disputed Himalayan region.” Then president General Pervez Musharraf had told the Indian Television channel that according to ‘four-point formula’ Islamabad and New Delhi could jointly supervise the region, which included a gradual withdrawal of troops, self-governance, no changes to the region’s borders and a joint supervision mechanism. Around the same time, a political analyst in Indian daily ‘The Asian Age” had suggested that “the Kashmir issue should be resolved on the lines of an agreement reached over Andorra in 1993 between France and Spain.” Andorra is a co-principality situated on the border of Spain and France in the Pyrenees Mountains, and co-princes are Bishop of Urgel (Spain) and the French President.

But India neither accepts UNSC resolutions nor third-party mediation nor out of box solution. It did not cooperate with the UN and invariably resorted to subterfuge and foot-dragging to kill all initiatives to resolve the dispute. The question is what could be done that international community takes Pakistan seriously? Pakistan should work hard to put its house in order and set its priorities right. It should focus on building large reservoirs on a war footing to ensure availability of water to the farmers to produce food for the growing population, and electricity for Industries at an affordable price to make them competitive in the world market. Secondly, those politicians and businessmen who have stashed billions of dollars in foreign banks should bring them back and invest in Pakistan. And last but not the least, there should be socio-economic justice in the country to create unity among the people.

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at mjamil1938@hotmail.com