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| How to draw Pakistan’s attention | |
By Manzoor Ahmed
The Interior Ministers of SAARC nations met in Islamabad early August when the host country was facing the anger of two countries other than India—Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Both nations were not represented by their ministers at the meet.
Like it happens in every India-Pak verbal warfare this time around also, Pakistan beat India. This has become more or less the norm or pattern because India has resolutely refused to join that kind of battle with its western neighbour in the hope (misplaced?) that high moral posturing receives a pat from the international community. The visit by Indian home minister Rajnath Singh failed to make any beep on the international radar.
What he said in Pakistan fell on deaf ears; it had to when his very speech was ‘blacked out’, and the Indian media representatives who had accompanied him were not allowed in or permitted to stand, like the host’s media contingent, at the entrance to the meeting venue
It was quite a coincidence that when Pakistan was crying itself hoarse against Indian ‘atrocities’ in Jammu and Kashmir, its biggest patron to date, the US, was pulling no punches in questioning the sincerity of Pakistan in fighting terror. The US has once again asked Pakistan to end the distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists, a blunt message that Pakistan cannot be trusted in fighting terror.
The US dealt another telling blow to its old South Asia client by withholding $300 million in coalition support fund because the Secretary of State was unable to certify that Pakistan was acting sincerely in eliminating all terror networks operating from territories under its control. The US has all but described Pakistan as a state sponsoring terrorism.
When Pakistan launched an all-out propaganda war against India there is no reason to justify a ‘soft’ approach towards it. Those advocating continuous talks with Pakistan, regardless of provocations from it, need to recall that Gen Pervez Musharraf, a former military ruler, has said on record that Pakistan will continue to be hostile towards India even if the Kashmir ‘dispute’ is settled to its satisfaction.
You may not be able to talk history or speak at length or be direct in speaking of the host nation at an international or regional conference, but at the same time no opportunity should be lost in exposing the intentions of a neighbour that swears by eternal enmity with you. You don’t give any quarter to a country like Pakistan.
A Saarc conference is not be the right forum to do that sort of talking but many things are said in implied form. Rajnath’s critical references to Pakistan were not direct either. India can at least talk about how Pakistan’s paranoia about India and not Kashmir has rendered SAARC dysfunctional.
Pakistan has become immune to homilies. It will not end the distinction between the good and bad terrorists unless it feels the pinch. Likewise, its definition of ‘martyrs’ will not change because the country’s very existence depends on aiding and defending the ‘good’ terrorists.
In his address at the Saarc conference, Rajnath read out some of the grouses against Pakistan with which it is very familiar and, therefore, pays no heed. What might compel attention in Pakistan will be India announcing concrete actions to hurt the land of the pure without going to war with it.
(The writer is a free lance journalist based in Kashmir)
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