Daily Times

Pakistan needs to change gears so far the talking points on Indian Occupied Kashmir are concerned. Pakistan was unable to push the issue in UN Security Council. India’s policy on the abrogation of Article 370 has been aggressive and pro-active to take member governments in UNSC on board before Pakistan even approached the UNSC-to share reasons behind scrapping of Article 370. India’s permanent mission in New York did a remarkable job in achieving the target. Pakistan was unable to garner 9 votes out of 15 to put up the resolution.

Coupled with India’s aggressive posture is the fact that politics around the world are driven by economics. Regional, international alliances take the front seat. The allies of today are those allying on causes and stances we oppose tomorrow. There are no permanent ‘friends’ and no permanent ‘enemies.’

Pakistan should focus on Human Rights Violations, an issue that has been picked up worldwide- and momentum has gained on criticism of the Indian Government atrocities unleashed on unarmed civilians. A detailed, fact based, researched paper should be the springboard of talking point-also at the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly Meeting PM Khan is scheduled to attend. A speech based on emotions alone is a bad strategy. If Pakistan wants to be pro-active in bringing to limelight the Kashmir issue internationally and keeping it there, it must understand that international approach to issues is very different than playing to the domestic gallery.

Threatening with an impending nuclear war is poor approach that reflects upon the emotional immaturity of our leaders that takes the focus away from core issue. Giving space to India to further exploit the issue in their favour

The focus must be humanity. Appeal to the emotional side but factually. Taking a leaf from the Indian strategy, the Human Rights Minister of Pakistan needs to travel to member nations of the august forum to put across facts, figures and data on plight of Kashmiris.

This should be the main thrust of Pakistan’s stance. Think internationally not with domestic playground in mind.

Then comes the sub-text. The abrogation of Article 370 and focus on Article 35-A. A constitutional violation taking away the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir thus allowing non-citizens to buy property-aimed at tipping the population balance before 2020-21 elections. Sharp constitutional legal mind needs to be deployed to draft this part. Leading constitutional lawyer Faisal Siddiqi from Karachi can be a good pick for the job. Legal part should be the job of a legal mind.

If 80% of thrust is on human rights violations, a 20% thrust must come up as a postscript on constitutional violation and its impact with complete dossier copies given to key people by Human Rights Minister of Pakistan as she makes her rounds.

A lot of homework is needed to develop a hard-hitting, cogent policy on Kashmir. PM Khan needs a professional speech writer following the theme and strategy from the dossier. Pakistan must not whittle away this opportunity in platitudes, emotional expletives and taking an international forum as a domestic gallery. The ground work for PM Khan’s speech must be laid down before the meeting. His speech must be factual and hit the nerve without any attacks otherwise on the Indian government. We also need to remember India has many, many good people who are as aghast at what their government is doing in OIK as anyone else. So the term our people to be used and we will do well to remember is “Indian government’ NOT India. A number of times the government may not be truly representative of the wishes of people in certain issues.

Diplomacy is the finest art of war. Uri Dubinin, Professor of the Department of Diplomacy of MGIMO-University of the RF MFA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation defines the role of diplomacy beautifully, “What is the art of diplomacy? While the art of war lies in the ability to claim victory through the force of arms, the art of diplomacy aims to achieve the goals set through peaceful means. It is, therefore, the antithesis of using force to solve international problems. In the art of diplomacy, it is the international community’s accumulated experience that serves as a weapon, as does – and herein lies the essence of it – an innovative, creative approach to problems arising. It is on the basis of this that one acts to provide a solution.”

Threatening with an impending nuclear war is poor approach that reflects upon the emotional immaturity of our leaders that takes the focus away from core issue. Giving space to India to further exploit the issue in their favour.

Pakistan’s government should have cultivated a coterie of intelligent people including diplomats and writers. Each group talking in favour of different countries. An extended arm of the government foreign office aimed at developing relationship with and winning confidence of key people there to gain information and assess that information for Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to further her national interests. It is late but no too late for this.

The writer is a lawyer, academic and political analyst