View from Pakistan | Walk the Talk

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

The current situation between the two countries is almost as bad as it has been during the worst of times. In my book, Neither a Hawk, Nor a Dove, I have referred to nine wars and near war situations that the two countries have faced since 1947; the current situation is perhaps not nearly as bad.

The Line of Control (LC) is, however, being violated with impunity and regularity with each side accusing the other of initiating violations. Media reports on both sides give a diametrically opposite account of the happenings, but, there is no doubt that the LC violence has already resulted in the death of many military personnel and civilians on both sides. Unless better sense prevails, the situation could quickly get out of hand.

Isolating Pakistan?

India made sure that the SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad on 15–16 November 2016 was postponed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to repeat, perhaps, largely, for Indian domestic consumption that he will ‘isolate’ Pakistan since it is the cause of ‘terrorism in Kashmir’.

He, of course, forgets that because of Pakistan’s geostrategic importance; its importance in the Muslim world; its nuclear status; its huge population base; its centrality to any possible solution to the Afghan problem; and with the world’s fifth or sixth largest, strong, disciplined and battle-hardened army (due partly to the disturbed situation on its Western border ever since the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the troubled situation there ever since), it just cannot be isolated.

Thus, despite PM Modi’s efforts to isolate Pakistan at the BRICS summit in Goa, China’s President Xi Jinping took him head on and called for ‘concrete efforts and multi-pronged approach that addressed both symptoms and root causes to global challenges like terrorism’ — an argument that mirrored Pakistan’s position on Kashmir. In violation of international practices, not to use a multilateral forum for bilateral disputes and PM Modi’s efforts to woo Russia in which he said ‘one old friend is better than two new ones’, it was noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his remarks, did not mention terrorism at all.’ On the other hand, despite strong Indian objections at a time of high tension between the two countries following Uri, Russia sent its troops for a joint military exercise with Pakistan in an area of Gilgit-Baltistan which India protested was ‘Pakistan Occupied Kashmir!’.

Furthermore, Russian military delegation visited for the first time ever the conflict-stricken areas in South Waziristan Agency in March 2017. The delegation ‘acknowledged and appreciated the Pakistan Army’s achievements in fight against terrorism and efforts to bring stability in the region’. Please do not think that I am overlooking the attitude of zero tolerance of the international community towards terrorism. I am acutely conscious of it and Pakistan will have to make great efforts to root out terrorism; in fact it has been a major victim itself. This is recognized by almost the entire political leadership of the country, as well as, by the Pakistan Army. The Operations Zarb-e-Azb and Rad-ul-Fasaad launched respectively by Gen. Raheel Shareef and Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa have almost entirely destroyed the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan’s tribal areas. North Waziristan is the greatest proof of that.

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Recently (July 2017), Senator John McCain, chairman of the armed services committee of the US Senate led a congressional delegation to South Waziristan where all the members lavished perfuse praise on the Pakistani Army’s efforts to clear the tribal area of the terrorist infrastructure. North Waziristan has also been cleared. This was no easy job and involved hand to hand fighting with terrorists. One of the members, Senator Whitehouse said, “Never crossed my mind I’d be visiting South Waziristan, let alone a peaceful South Waziristan. So, my congratulations to the Pakistani military.”

Prime ministers of both the countries missed an opportunity to resume talking when there was no sideline meeting in Astana (Kazakhstan) where Pakistan and India have been admitted as full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It was, however, noted by the media that ‘more than 17 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore, the two met in the leaders’ lounge at the opera house here, where they exchanged greetings.’ May be this was slightly better than their performance at other locations where they have studiously avoided each other.  During his recent visit to the United States, PM Modi used every forum to attack Pakistan. This only hardened feelings in Pakistan; perhaps PM Modi thinks that he could influence the US to pressurise Pakistan on Kashmir.

In my opinion, the US would wish to use India against China. The Americans may be more reluctant to satisfy India’s wishes regarding pressurising Pakistan (particularly at a time when human rights violations in Kashmir have been covered prominently in the international media, and, at a time when they have decided to prolong their stay in Afghanistan and send more men and material to that country to prevent the Taliban from making gains against the Kabul government. The Americans have realised that no success is possible in Afghanistan without Pakistan’s cooperation. Influential US Senator John McCain during his visit very recently said ‘there could be “no peace” in Afghanistan or the rest of the region without Pakistan's cooperation, as he visited Islamabad ahead of a review from the US of its Afghan war strategy.’

Moreover, I also feel that India with its long history of non-alignment in foreign policy will find it difficult to satisfy the US’s wishes with regard to Russia and Iran. In my view, therefore, it would serve the interest of South Asia if PM Modi concluded that nothing could be gained with trying to exert external pressure on Pakistan. As far as Pakistan is concerned, it has been generally realised by public opinion leaders that a meaningful dialogue with India is in Pakistan’s own interest.

Situation in Kashmir

India is angry because it (ostensibly) holds Pakistan responsible for the current situation in Kashmir. I am not going to deny that Pakistan does have a very strong interest in Kashmir. Why would otherwise there be almost perpetual tension since 1947 including nine wars and near war situations. It is, however, wrong to blame Pakistan for the current situation in Kashmir which is perhaps the worst in recent memory.

I meet Indians regularly in India, Pakistan and international conferences, and, I know that most objective Indians realise that the current situation is due to India’s failure to accept that Kashmir is a dispute and its future needs to be decided in consultation with the people of Kashmir and in talks between India and Pakistan. Even the report by prominent Indians led by my former counterpart Yashwant Sinha makes it clear, “across the cross section of people we met there was anguish about India not recognizing that Kashmir was a dispute. The refusal to see Kashmir as a political issue, people claimed, had resulted in the present situation because a political issue cannot be solved through law and order measures.”

Similarly, in a recent article in the Hindu India’s former national security advisor M.K. Narayanan (who is by no means a dove on Pakistan), after reaching a similar conclusion as the Yashwant Sinha Committee on the situation of Ka