Daily Times

The usually smooth and savvy Shah Mehmood Qureshi is between the hammer and the anvil these days. He took to Twitter on Monday to enunciate the internationally recognised dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. This explanation came on the heels of national ire over his remarks in a television interview two days earlier. Causing a much-hyped controversy, to the delight of opposition parties, FM Qureshi had surprisingly called the abrogation of Article 370 an “internal matter of India (that) meant nothing for Pakistan.”

As expected, his remarks were construed by leaders of other parties (PPP’s Sherry Rehman and PMLN’s Mohammad Zubair) as a crystal-clear u-turn from Pakistan’s decades-old stance. There were those chanting the slogans of u-turn while others reiterating support for the Kashmiri cause. An occasional throw of back-channelling peace talks also took some of the spotlight.

While Mr Qureshi has now gone back on his words, the damage has, unfortunately, been done. The next news cycle would see a line of fiery opportunists digging up dirt on him and his administration. There would be an endless loop of previous statements juxtaposed with his viral byte.

Miss Rehman is spot-on in holding the PTI government’s feet to the ground. There should definitely be a clarification session facilitated in the parliament to restore confidence in the state policies. Going by the words of our foreign minister himself (last month concerning the import of Indian cotton and sugar), there could be no normalisation of ties until New Delhi reversed the special status accorded to Kashmir. Of course, such a transparent resolution–that too, laced with grave implications–could not be aired without the rubber stamp of the prime minister. Islamabad’s stance in the case of Kashmir has been straightforward from the day PM Khan assumed power. Though always interested in extending an olive branch, he has umpteenly reiterated the dependence of Pak-India’s durable peace on the resolution of the Kashmir issue. This determination was again on display yesterday during a live broadcast session. Calling for the reversal of Kashmir’s status, the skipper made it clear that Pakistan would not hold dialogue “unless India retreats from the steps taken on August 5.” Considering his staunch opposition of the recent episode of Israeli violence, he would only serve fodder to his critics if he about-faces on the plight of those living right under his nose.

No matter how well-versed he may be, the FM is a mere human and can make a mistake (however embarrassing). However, this slip of the tongue is not just a faux pas but throws doubt on the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy: his forte. Ergo, he should waste no time in clearing the air. Islamabad must send a loud message to its citizens as well as the international community that it is not backing down from the fight against India’s boomeranging suffocation of Kashmiris. Yes, there could not be a more critical time for South Asia to move united on the path of human development. But this much-needed dialogue can only thrive if both Pakistan and India are clear-cut on the scope of their bilateral engagement. *