There is no doubt that Imran Khan Government has gone horribly wrong in handling the Kashmir issue and so are the Pakistani agencies. Starting with threatening speeches with dire consequences of war and then calling Kashmir as the nuclear flashpoint.

The level of warmongering in Pakistan after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 05, 2019 has perhaps broken all records in the modern world exposing the sheer desperation in the Pakistani leadership.

In a masterstroke India virtually pulled the carpet under the feet of Pakistanis by revoking controversial Articles 370 and 35A. Surprised and shaken with the new development Pakistan was totally outwitted and it took some time for its leaders to think and react. However, the reaction was nothing but plain warmongering against India.

Recently in his address to the Nation Imran Khan, in a very ridiculous decision, has appealed to Pakistanis to show their solidarity with the Kashmiri people by abandoning their homes, offices and workplaces once every week.

He wants them to gather at a public place and shout for Kashmir, “WE ARE WITH YOU”. What an idea? But is that enough?

By now majority in Pakistan feels that Imran Khan is never in full grasp of anything whether it is an internal policy or the foreign policy. His claims to have won the world cup during his meeting with Trump in Washington have been proved otherwise by US President retracting from his statement of mediation in Kashmir issue.

Similarly the address to the Nation on an extremely sensitive issue has completely exposed him and he has been blamed by his opponents for inept handling of Kashmir issue with Bilawal Bhutto accusing Imran Khan for having changed the entire perception of Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir.

People in Pakistan expected him to talk about his government’s latest initiatives on the diplomatic and political fronts, to control the political mess in the aftermath of irresponsible statements by his party leaders and retired Pakistan Army officers to impose war on India. Some of them were asking to send Talibans in Kashmir and others were demanding for a nuclear strike. People wanted to know how he is going to deal with the worsening crisis. 

Shouting “Kashmir Banega Pakistan” in National Assembly by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed calling “Jihad” the birthright of every Muslim, are certainly not the options to mobilise the international community.  

alking about irrelevant things like ‘Riyasat-e-Madina’ and what his government has achieved and will achieve had no connection with Kashmir issue. People felt that he has wasted precious time of the entire Nation.

Viewpoint

Given to the obsession for Kashmir, reactions by the Pakistani civil and military leadership were natural. But demanding war and jihad openly, against India, in the National Assembly was a very poor show of diplomacy and leadership by the ruling party and the opposition leaders. Pakistan’s involvement in ongoing militancy in Kashmir is not hidden but his warmongering in public has not gone too well with most of the world who have not liked the mention of any violent actions in Kashmir by the Pakistan.  And it shows why even Pakistan’s closest allies in the Muslim world are not willing to express their views on Kashmir or support Pakistan on its stand. This is a clear cut diplomatic failure of Pakistan which has got further magnified by UAE honouring the Indian prime minister with its highest national award.

Pakistan must review its policy on Kashmir as most of the World does not consider it as a disputed territory any more.  

And in doing so Pakistan must keep in mind the statements by the Indian Defence Minister on “No First Use” option of nuclear arsenals and talks only on “Pakistan Occupied Kashmir”.

28 Aug 19/Wednesday                              Written by Azadazraq