Kashmir’s Diplomatic Downfall

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Hafsa Masoodi

Pakistan is not only a party to Kashmir dispute but also claims itself to be an advocate of Kashmiri people. It is often said that Kashmir dispute is the main pillars of country’s foreign policy. However, Pakistan’s Kashmir policy has always been a riddle. It is said that Qauid-e-Azam Ali Mohammad Jinnah wanted to see Kashmir as an independent state, but his close friend and right hand Liaqat Ali Khan, first PM of Pakistan wanted to merge Kashmir in Pakistan. After the UN resolution on Kashmir, Pakistan got a permanent slogan “implementation of UN resolution”. Afterward, the rulers of Pakistan who had some ambition for Kashmir issue had their own agenda to follow.

Ayoub Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan proved more interested in the rich water resources of this mountainous region while his successor Zulfikar Ali Bhutto despite vowing to fight for thousands of years to offer them opportunity to decide their fate signed the Shimla agreement with India and made it bilateral issue between two countries. Kashmir as an arbitrary party was once for all excluded from it.

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq who served as the president of Pakistan vociferously backed the armed struggle to ‘liberate’ Kashmir from India which so far consumed nearly one lakh lives without any outcome.

And the last nail in the coffin was put by the former president of the country, Parveez Musharaf who brought Kashmir out from the charter of United Nations to find ‘out of box’ solution to this lingering issue.

The relatives of youth wails over his dead body killed in forces firing. Photo: Xuhaib Maqbool
The relatives of youth wails over his dead body killed in forces firing. Photo: Xuhaib Maqbool
In this politically evolving process, what remains unchanged undisputedly in Pakistan that it always stood for Kashmiris moral and diplomatic support although such efforts at times prove laughing stock in the world?

In the name of Kashmir committee, Pakistan is feeding a white elephant. The committee is aimed to inform, educate and aware the local masses and billions of rupees are meant for the purpose. But here is good joke about the former chairman of committee. The predecessor of Fazl-u-Rehman who served for a long time as the chairman of Kashmir committee was once told how many times he visited Pakistan Administrated Kashmir? “I have visited many times and you can check my passport with visa stamp.” He replied.

Interestingly, the chairman didn’t know that no visa is required to any Pakistani to visit PaK. His efforts to plead the case of Kashmir at international and local level could be well gauged from his personal understanding of this issue and region.

Pakistan has Ministry of Kashmir affairs which is responsible to plead the case of Kashmiris at international level with the support of country’s foreign ministry. It invests crores of rupees in the name of Kashmir cause but whenever the diplomatic efforts are required to intensify, the Pakistan government form the fresh and separate committees.

The recent 22 member committee of parliamentarians formed by the Nawaz government is testimony to this fact. The committee is travelling to nine countries to persuade them to put diplomatic pressure on India against the ongoing ‘human rights’ violations in Kashmir and to seek its permanent settlement for lasting peace in South Asia. The committee’s formation invoked critical debates in mainstream and social media where the sincerity of Pakistan was questioned towards the ongoing crisis in Kashmir.

The Kashmir problem may face more damage at international forum; observers believe, by these leaders instead to achieve any support given to their poor understanding of issue.

Though few delegates in the forum are well educated but that doesn’t qualify them for the job. Senator Mushahid Hussain seems the only well taught person in the 22 member delegation who to some extent knows about this political problem. Fazl-u-Rehman, the chairman of Kashmir committee along with Tahir Iqbal who was also the minister of Kashmir affairs are heading for Saudi Arabia to inform them about the ‘human rights’ violations perpetuated by the Indian forces in Kashmir.

No doubt Tahir Iqbal who once held the portfolio of Kashmir affairs may know better than his colleagues about Kashmir but not much to impress Saudi Arabia. The country may have better understanding about the Kashmir’s disputed political nature. It must be seen how much the delegation would be successful in convincing this Pakistan’s close ally to support it in Kashmir issue. Interestingly few months back the Saudi government awarded the highest civilian award to the Indian Prime Minister, Narender Modi offering the new leaf to the growing bilateral relations between the two countries.

Another three member delegation is deputed to Russia which includes Raza Hayat Hairaj, who has served as federal minister for law and justice and foreign affairs minister, Junaid Anwar Chowdary who represents Toba Tak Singh in Punjab province and Nawab Ali Wasaan from Sindh. Wasaan recently came in limelight during his interview to a Pakistan based news channel and became a laughing stock. Wasaan even did not know Mehbooba Mufti-Chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. When Wasaan is himself ignorant about the political realities of Kashmir, how he is going to win the support of a country like Russia which shares better relations with India unlike Pakistan and has already vetoed the UN resolutions about Kashmir.

Khushro Bukhtiyar- the former minister of foreign affairs in Pakistan is entrusted to convince China to support Pakistan over Kashmir. A barrister and expert of international laws is however unheard about his views on Kashmir. His trip to China is anticipated to yield some positive results given to country’s own indirect interference in the region and growing bilateral relations with Pakistan.

The chairperson of Polio campaign in Pakistan, Aishia Raza, business graduate and the PML (N) National Assembly member is meeting the French government. The way France is ignorant about Kashmir problem, so is Miss Raza. The emerging power Turkey is a close ally of Pakistan. Recep Tayoub Erdogan, its prime Minster extensively travels the Muslim world with his generous heart and if Pakistan succeeds in seeking his support will be a major achievement. However, it was not considered so important and the secretary of parliament Mohsin Ranja and Malik Parveez was entrusted with the job of convincing Erdogan to support the country over Kashmir.

Abdul Rehman Kanjoo represents the Pakistan in South Africa. Retired General Malik Abdul Qayoom is pleading Kashmir issue with London and Owais Lagari took up the matter at Geneva. The important person of the delegation Mushaid Hussan is discussing matter with America.

Though the step for sending the delegation across the world to aware it about the soaring human rights violations in Kashmir is a step in right direction, however, the insincerity with which the delegation was formed has already made it a big joke in Pakistan. There is no dearth of diplomats of Pakistan in other countries of world who could have better pleaded the case of Kashmir. And if it was the need of time to appoint new delegation to intensify diplomatic efforts, it could have been much impressive had the government of Pakistan appointed the members with thorough understanding of Kashmiris political nature to motivate the world body. But all those who have been included in the team are the back benchers of politics. The participation of Kashmir in the delegation would have had greater impact at both local and international level. It is like that Kashmir’s are being told to receive beatings and they (Pakistan) will cry for them.

Two weeks earlier new president of Azad Kashmir took an oath and it was said that the diplomat was appointed for his Kashmiri origin. He served in China, America and UNO as an ambassador of Pakistan and it was expected that his diplomatic experience in such countries would be of great help to the Kashmir cause and could have been included in the delegation. His inclusion in the team could have lent strong voice to the Kashmiris for advocating his own case with their own wisdom.

Pakistan lost an opportunity to pressurize India though there is no dearth of rational people in country who could have proved more convincing for the job.

However, it seemed that Nawaz government while ignoring the Kashmir’s grave situation attempted to settle his own unresolved domestic political backlashes while offering the foreign trips to angry and left out parliamentarians in the name of Kashmir cause. The ongoing uprising in Kashmir has been one of the most powerful in recent times and driving the international attention but so far Pakistan has failed to cash over it. Kashmir needs sincerity and maturity to settle it down once for all.Mere words won’t work and right people need to be in the frame to plead the case on rational grounds.

Even if it wants to settle the issue as per the United Nations resolutions, it should offer its desire to the world to withdraw its troops from Pakistan Administrated Kashmir to conduct the plebiscite under the UN supervision.

The article appeared in print edition of Sept 14 to 20, 2016.

The author is M.Phil from National Defence University (NDU) Pakistan in Peace and conflict studies and Masters in Kashmir studies from AJKU University.

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