Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan must attend the 19th council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being held in India later this year. Boycotting the international gathering will be a bad option and that too only over the issue of an undesirable venue. Indian foreign minister has indicated that they will invite PM Khan following established practices and procedures within the SCO. Pakistan is a new entrant to the SCO as it, along with India, became full member in June 2017. The organisation, founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, aims at promoting multilateral economic cooperation. The forum can be used to tackle war-hysteria by the Indian government. Also, Pakistan’s gesture will reaffirm its position to use all possible diplomatic forums and non-military ways to raise the Kashmir issue. The forum can be used to tell the world that war-mongering can help Modi’s party to win elections, but stepping into the war arena would not help them gain anything. In recent days, belligerent rhetoric being fanned from the Delhi may only plunge the region to new depths of poverty, uncertainty and backwardness. The war-mongering has already jeopardised peace. Since the revocation of India-held Kashmir status on August 5 last year by India, Pakistan has been invoking all possible diplomatic channels to make the Kashmiris’ voice heard, while India has avoided coming face on face on diplomatic fronts; instead, it has pitched its newly-installed army chief to open a gate of threats of invading Azad Kashmir, making the whole region vulnerable to a new wave of conflicts. Pakistan’s efforts to get the Kashmir dispute resolved amicably can be gauged from the fact it has reached out to the United Nations Security Council for a second time in five months to apprise the world community about the plight of Kashmiris in India-held Kashmir. It is, however, the failure of the UN top forum that the second session concluded without any viable outcome. But the dedicated session on India-held Kashmir also signifies the seriousness of the prevailing situation in the occupied valley.

The world is waking up, though very slowly, to the sufferings of the Kashmiris inflicted on them through continuous lockdown and Internet blackout. On Jan 13, chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs Alice Wells conveyed her concern over continued detentions and internet-shutdown in India-Kashmir. Earlier, European Union diplomats snubbed Delhi’s offer of a guided tour to the occupied valley. Now, Pakistan must play the SCO card. *