Daily Times

Unless the world’s focus shifts from Pakistan-India wrangling to the plight of Kashmiris, any measure would be an injustice to the thousands who have died for their freedom struggle

Even though warmongering between Pakistan and India has subsided a bit, with patriots on both sides having a ball the last few weeks, the volatile situation in Kashmir is not looking to abate as either of the two countries are not willing to concede any ground. The egoistic stakes are too high. Kashmiris continue to suffer.

From Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to his move of sending delegates around the world to highlight the Kashmir issue, Pakistan has tried to play the sympathy card over Kashmir. Whatever the intentions, the response of the world powers has not been the same as was desired by Islamabad. Having said that, all is not bad. At least some countries have expressed concern. Good enough for the government to show that to media.

On the other hand, India is just being the characteristic India. It does have the leverage of labelling Pakistan as a state sponsor of terror because of the presence of some militant groups and terrorist havens in Pakistan, a claim of which India finds many supporters among the world powers. India went on a full-scale offensive threatening Pakistan of consequences following the Uri incident. And there was a surgical strike as well, whether you believe it or not depends on which side of the border you are in. Also, Narendra Modi wants to isolate Pakistan. India has flexed its diplomatic muscle and resonated its stance in most of the international gatherings it participated in recent times.

All these events and the escalation of the situation in Kashmir have happened in the past few months. Amid the issues like ISIS and the refugee crisis, the Kashmir issue, despite the deteriorating situation, has become irrelevant in most of the world power capitals. Despite the hue and cry from Pakistan and reports from human rights organisations, the issue of Kashmir has not able to get any real attention from anyone at the annual UNGA gathering last month. Despite showing concern on the situation in Kashmir, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon refrained from even alluding to, let alone discussing, the Kashmir issue in his address to the UNGA. The ‘lesson’ is clear for Pakistan.

Kashmir is still burning amid all this, and it will remain so.

Then there are the US elections that could well be one of the most important elections in the history of the US, and perhaps for the whole world because of the far-reaching consequences of the agendas of the candidates. Both the candidates have had their opinions on most of the world issues including ISIS, terrorism, refugee crisis, Russia, and the situation in Syria among others. But the Kashmir issue has not featured on the agendas of the presidential nominees so far. And won’t.

The significant improvement in relations between India and the US has been the highlight of Modi’s tenure so far. US’s differences with Pakistan have resulted in a strategic shift towards India. The Democrats have promised to continue with Obama’s policies of a significant tilt towards India. The Republicans have also voiced their opinion in favour of India. Although, this should sound alarm bells for Pakistan, where is America’s official stance on Kashmir?

The situation in Kashmir and the recent threats exchanged by the two countries could result in a situation where the next US president may have to intervene, departing from an apparent indifferent stance. The sooner she or he does so, the better. In the past few days, Indian check posts in the Indian-held Kashmir have come under attack from insurgent groups. While the issue of Kashmir might not seem important at the moment, it could burst into a threat including jihadi terrorism, nuclear weapons and destabilisation of an already underdeveloped and volatile region. The US needs to outline its stance on the issue clearly and ask both the countries to resolve the matter along with all the other issues, notably terrorism, using its influence.

The other important election this year is for the next UN Secretary General. The election of Antonio Guterres as the next UN Secretary General is heralded as a departure from the US domination of the world assembly as Gueterres is known to have had notable policy differences with the US during his tenure as the prime minister of Portugal. But the history of intervening only after the escalation of crisis has also tainted the forum, and one can only hope for a real change in attitude that would have a positive impact on problems around the world.

History shows that once the situation cools down between Pakistan and India, the Kashmir issue is conveniently sidelined. But Kashmiris experience no change in their plight at all. Unless the world’s focus shifts from Pakistan-India wrangling to the plight of Kashmiris, any measure would be an injustice to the thousands who have died for their freedom struggle.

The writer is a staff member