Asem Mohiuddin
On March 23 when the separatists from Kashmir rushed to the Pakistan’s embassy in New Delhi to attend the Pakistan Day function euphoria about the talks between the separatists and Pak envoy Abdul Basit were created.
But when the separatists returned home after attending two days of grand event in the lush green lawns of embassy in New Delhi, they appeared to be disheartened.
At the event Basit urged India to have meaningful dialogue on the Kashmir problem. Going by the speech of Basit, the envoy focused more on regional cooperation and highlighted its growing economic ties with its all-weather friend China.
The Pak envoy sought India’s support to have amicable solution to all the issues especially Kashmir through dialogue. Attending his speech were guests from the Kashmir, but outnumbered by the Indians among which the notable persons were BJP minister, Prakash Javadkar, Congress leader Mani Shanker Aiyer and former RAW chief AS Dulat. “Given the great geographical position of Pakistan, the country is destined to become regional economic hub for West Asia, South Asia and Central Asia,” Basit told the guests.
“The country has made tremendous strides in last 68 years of its existence, though it is not considered to be a long time in the history of nations,” said the Pak Envoy.
Mentioning the CPEC in his speech, Pakistan is apparently looking hopeful in making the economic and strategic road as game changer for its greater importance in South Asia. The country’s economy is crumbling and is necessary for it to infuse the regional economic cooperation to retain its relevance in the world. But it needs the political stability first and it has to weed out its home grown militancy.
Here again the Prime Minster, Narendra Modi’s ambitious “Make In India” project requires vast market that is technically possible through the Pakistan only. On the other side China is the fastest growing economic power in world, so is India. What if Pakistan is offering a gateway to India to reach out to South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia regions with huge market potential?
It could be well indicated from the visit of Prime Minster when he took all on surprise and landed at Lahore from Afghanistan summit to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief on his birthday on December 25, 2015.
The stopover of Modi was reportedly facilitated by the country’s top industrialist Sajjan Jindal who was also present there to greet Sharief.
To strengthen and sustain the economic ties for both the countries needs compulsorily political stability in the region as rightly put by the Pak envoy in his speech.
Under such circumstances, it may not be surprising that the priorities may have changed and both countries may agree to some political concessions on all unresolved issues especially on Kashmir to sustain their economic interests. The Modi led BJP has swept the 2014 parliamentary elections in country after assuring economically progressive nation to its people. He has a compulsion to reach to the virgin and unexplored market with its “Make in India” plan and Pakistan shows the door.
Here, the separatists of Kashmir who rubbed their shoulders with the intelligentsia of both the countries on National Pak Day in New Delhi even failed to build the consensus over Kashmir problem.
Sources said that Basit has not given much time to any of the separatist party next day during these separate meetings with them. “They had photo ops and shook hands with envy and returned.”
Notwithstanding the changing ground realities the separatist camp seems unfazed.
One of the senior separatist leaders who also joined the day said, “Pakistan has a clear policy on Kashmir but we have multiple leaders with undefined agenda. It makes us irrelevant in the changing political scene of south Asia.”
The time has come when we should introspect and redraw our strategy given to the present political situation”
The article first appeared in the print edition of April 6.
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