Regional/International Affairs
By N. P. Upadhyaya
Kathmandu: Predictably, India must have been in a state of high depression. Two high magnitude quakes supposedly have rocked the former seat of the Mughals.
The first one, for sure, must have been the news that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been invited by the mighty Russian federation. Indian mindset had been that Russia takes India only as its friend in the entire South Asian region.
The “calculation” thus has proved wrong as in international relations, friends and enemies both keep on changing.
What doesn’t change is the country’s prime interests.
And the second equally powerful political jolt was that Pakistan’s Prime Minister in an abrupt fashion invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to face a live TV debate with him in order to sort out the overly stretched India-Pakistan animosity.
The offer must have come as a troubling surprise to the entire Indian establishment.
The ground reality is that India and Pakistan are bad neighbours since the second day of the grand partition of the two nations which was created on the notion of two-nation theory: one is Hindu majority and the other has Muslim in the majority. The two are nuclear-powered rivals sharing antagonistic relations since partition days.
Both India and Pakistan have fought several wars since the partition but that has not yet deterred the two rival nations from trading flimsy charges on each other which at times brings the two face to face at the borders.
Thus the animosity lingers for seven decades plus as stated earlier.
To the best of the knowledge of the nonpartisan South Asian political observers, Pakistan has one-point agenda which is, as is being disseminated by the Pakistani side, that “if and when the issue of India occupied Jammu and Kashmir” gets sorted out to the satisfaction first of the agitating Kashmiris then the India-Pakistani overly stretched rivalry shall come to an end.
Kashmir issue is what annoys Pakistan and the annoyance continues even after seven decades plus of their living separately as two different nations. The disputed territories of Kashmir, both countries claim in full.
To the best of our knowledge, India’s declared rival Pakistan has been just reminding the regional hooligan, India for sure, to honour and bring into its verbatim implementation of those United Nations Security Council resolutions that had been officially made as regards the “disputed ” landmass of the now India Occupied territories in Kashmir.
One of the most important Security Council’s resolutions on Kashmir was then made which had guaranteed an all-satisfying plebiscite for the Kashmiri population which would have allowed, had the plebiscite taken place, the oppressed people of Kashmir to decide their fate themselves.
The then Indian prime minister Nehru had given a positive nod to the UN-led plebiscite on Kashmir. Later he retreated to the utter dismay of the world leaders.
The non-implementation of the UNSC resolutions on Kashmir could be due to the international body’s “preferred tilt” towards India, so claim non-partisan observers looking at the manner the UN body has close its “eyes” on the vexing issue which is what gives an impression that the UN Body is siding with the Indian regime.
The non-implementation of the assured plebiscite in Kashmir still stands in limbo.
Nepal as a prominent country of the South Asian landmass, wishes the survey to be held under the UN aegis as early as possible simply because it is untold and beyond imagination suffering that the Kashmiris have been enduring since seven decades or so at the hands of the “occupying” Indian regime that has made South Asian region as a flashpoint.
It is this “flashpoint” located in and around occupied Kashmir that has brought the two declared rivals, India and Pakistan, face to face several times in the past with the potential of several other lethal encounters in between the two almost “enemies” should the situation so demand.
Nepal’s concerns as regards the plight of the Kashmiris is genuine in that the non-ending conflict between Pakistan and India, both Nepal’s South Asian neighbours, have not only threatened peace and stability in this part of the world but also has the latent potential to invite the world Superpowers to this region to settle the Kashmiri issue for all time to come through a large scale war.
In case the Moscow-Beijing-Islamabad axis which has just taken a “silent” shape, should mean much to the “regional” hegemon?
International relations experts rightly take the “region of Kashmir” as one of the most volatile areas in the entire globe.
Any turmoil in Kashmir is sure to destabilize the entire South Asian landmass which is already feeling threatened to its existence by the regional bully along with the known expansionist that India is.
Instead of taming India, the US has made it a partner in the Quad security dialogue which in itself is an unfortunate going of the US.
What scares the smaller South Asian countries like Nepal is that “as and when Super Power enter” South Asia under any pretext of their choice, it will certainly be the South Asian population to suffer much.
Kashmir is a permanent problem for both India and Pakistan and as long as the Kashmir issue is not resolved, the two countries shall never remain on the verge of war.
Sardar Masood Khan, the Pakistani permanent representative in the UN writes in and Global Village article, “the currency of hatred will sear both India and Pakistan. By geography, the two nations are destined to co-exist for centuries. Kashmir is what divides them, among others: it can also unite them if India for once agrees that this is a problem that needs to be resolved justly”.
Imran Khan’s interview with the Russian Television on 22 February brilliantly conducted by OKSANA BOYKO talks on the burning issue of Kashmir wherein the Pakistani Premier Imran Khan offers a live TV debate with his Indian counterpart PM Modi and tentatively suggests his rival side, “it is the Kashmir issue” that needs to be sorted out.
If done so, adds PM Khan, there are valid reasons to hope and believe that both the rival nations can live in peace for all time to come.
PM Khan by offering India his fresh “peace proposal” on the eve of his departure to the Russian Federation sent abundant signals to the world leaders that his country, Pakistan, desires peace with its immediate enemy neighbour but for that, the lingering issue of Kashmir must be first resolved that satisfies all the stakeholders that are India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir who are living in the world’s largest open-air prison since decades and decades.
By offering a live discussion with PM Modi, Imran Khan has in more ways than one “unnerved” Indian establishment and its uneducated Prime Minister Modi.
The joke of the year 2022 is that the Indian Prime Minister Modi (not even a school dropout) is not known to have engaged in TV debates and so far hasn’t held even a “press conference” of sorts since coming to power in India in 2014.
Though Khan knows that India will reject his “TV debate offer” yet his intention is to send signals to the world that Pakistan is open for peace should India so desire.
Khan’s TV dialogue offer must-have “touched” the Russian high-level authorities which may have forced them to look at Pakistan in a different way. Khan thus killed two birds with a single stone.
In fact, with the new alignments and realignments taking a new course in world politics, the Russian President’s preferred choice in South Asia now is Imran Khan who has replaced Indian Prime Minister Modi in a smooth manner.
Russia has felt ditched by India’s chameleon regime and PM Khan too has concluded internally that his country too has been mercilessly sidelined by the former Cold War ally — the US and hence Khan’s slight “inclination towards Russia” has become a must.
However, PM Khan must not commit a political blunder in completely abandoning the US for understandable reasons as international alignments keep on changing as and when the situation so demands.
According to Sir Winston Churchill, “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”.
And that Russia is not only an enigma but yet remains a mighty Super Power was observed when tiny Ukraine tasted the might of the Russian federation.
Ukraine was ballooned by the countries of the developed West which challenged mighty Russia.
For serving its prime interests, the country’s judgment as to where to align to benefit politically and strategically. Ukraine failed miserably in estimating the Russian heavyweight.
Pakistan’s current hobnob with Russia has been necessitated by an inspirational desire to maintain a power balance in South Asia which was visibly in favour of India with the latter’s close proximity with the US that has included India as a strong partner in the Security Dialogue, the QUAD.
If Pakistan needs Russia, then the reverse is also true for emerging geopolitical compulsions. Both Russia and Pakistan have their needs to get served.
Pakistan needs Russia for its “development” then Russia needs Pakistan to show India that “we have found an ally” in South Asia.
PM Khan while meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin did not miss to air his genuine concerns on the plight of the Kashmiri population who have been living under the continued oppression of the Indian regime.
The News18, news portal on 25 February reports, while PM Khan was ventilating his serious concerns over India’s Occupied Kashmir, mighty Russia was almost pouncing upon the US and NATO lured Ukraine that almost crippled the lives of the innocent Ukrainians.
By the time this story is being penned, the small country Ukraine has become the victim of “big power” and sending diplomatic notes to Russia for meaningful talks to end the conflict.
Interesting to note is the fact that Khan’s raising of the issue of Kashmir came close on the heels of the Russian diplomatic mission in Delhi which disseminated that Russia “would not interfere in bilateral issues of India and Pakistan, adding that the countries’ issues should be solved only via the Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration.
India doesn’t care about either the Shimla agreement or the Lahore declaration.
Khan’s primary aim appeared to focus on bringing the Russian sympathy for Kashmir’s oppressed citizens and also to keep South Asia free from the hegemony of the noted regional bully-India.
Thus the NEWS18 claims that the Pakistan Prime Minister talked about the situation in South Asia and expressed serious concerns over the pathetic human rights situation in IIOJK and demanded the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute with the implementation of the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions made in the past but yet remains to be implemented.
In fact, Pakistan needs Russia to cope with the Indian menace and to keep South Asia stable and peaceful which coincides with the “inner desires” of mute South Asia’s smaller countries.
Khan in a way has put forth the wishes of the smaller SA states.
Pakistan in effect prefers to power tilt that is currently in India’s favour to get balanced with its proximity with the Russian Federation.
What Putin assured Khan can’t be predicted at this “turbulent” time, yet what could be stated easily is that Pakistan shall face rival India with an energized strength after visiting Moscow and having an “exclusive” meeting with the macho man Vladimir Putin.
The Pakistani delegation to Moscow, however, did not take a side in the Ukrainian conflict.
Khan simply said he didn’t believe there was a military solution to any dispute.
A Russian Presidency statement claims that the “two leaders discussed the main aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on current regional topics, including developments in South Asia”, reports Aljazeera on 25 February.
We presume this is what PM Khan wanted to be discussed with Putin.
Khan’s “working visit” to Moscow could be taken in a way as to have been ill-timed for multiple reasons. However, what is also true is that the visit has had been planned in advance but suddenly the Ukrainian crisis crept in and diverted the attention of the world from the increasing proximity of Islamabad with Moscow and vice versa.
Yet another height of the ties awaits when Putin lands in Islamabad which is sure to boggle the minds of the regional hegemon. That’s all.
Login to add a comment