Kashmir issue since inception has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan ever since both the countries gained independence from the British colonial rule in 1947. Both the countries have fought three wars on Kashmir issue.
There is a general perception that Prime Minister Imran Khan government compromised Kashmir issue during his first official visit to USA and meeting with President Donald Trump as well as at the same time USA was assured that Pakistan will not resist at any forum and only statements will be issued to fulfill the formality.
Senator Lindsey Graham had earlier suggested during a panel discussion that the best way to sell democracy would be to settle the Kashmir issue in a democratic way.
To this, Jaishankar promptly responded, “Do not worry, Senator. Once democracy will settle it and you know which one.”
India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, stripping the special status enjoyed by the erstwhile state of Illegal Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in early August 2019. Ironically, New Delhi’s decision came very next day, PM Imran returned back to Pakistan after having his official first meeting with US President Donald Trump & Trump’s offer in July 2019 to mediate between India and Pakistan over the restive region. It happened for the first time in history of creation of India and Pakistan during 70 years that India dared to revoke independent status of occupied Kashmir as PM Imran Khan made a deal with Trump to focus on resolving Afghanistan issue as it concerns both the US and Pakistan. PM Imran Khan very clearly and vocally confessed before the media during his USA trip that Kashmir was important but, the most pressing concern was Afghanistan. Both of US/Pakistan are interested in peace there and an orderly transition in Afghanistan with dialogues with the Taliban and the government.
PM Imran Khan after India’s abrogation of Article 370 just announced apologetically that citizens of Pakistan will stand for 30 minutes every Friday as a mark of solidarity with Kashmir, his decision was mocked and rebuked by the world. But, again ironically this standing ovation was held only twice and afterwards, officially Pakistan government deliberately forgot the revocation of article 370 by Indian PM Narendara Modi.
The offer of mediation by US President Donald Trump was perhaps a trap that he had walked into is a part of the deal. US President Donald Trump said the United States was watching developments between India and Pakistan over disputed Kashmir “very very closely” and was prepared to help if necessary, but did not say how? US President Trump quoted these words ahead of closed-door talks with Pakistan PM Imran Khan in Davos.
During his first visit to Washington as Pakistan Prime Minister Khan told Trump: “You will have the prayers of over a billion people if you can mediate or resolve this issue.
The US could play a big part; President Trump certainly can play a big part.”
The US think tank Congressional Research Service had released a report claiming that Trump’s offer in July 2019 during a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan might have prompted India’s 5 August decision.
President Donald Trump had offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue at least three times, though New Delhi had categorically rejected the offer. Former media adviser to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sanjay Baru suggested, it was best for President Trump not to raise the Kashmir issue.it manifested the inflexible stance of India to declare the disputed territory of Kashmir issue as its internal matter.
PM Imran Khan blunderbuss statement that Narendra Modi is the only hope for the solution of the Kashmir dispute & “Kashmir problem would be solved if Modi gets re-elected” as well as his over-excitement with the Kartarpur Corridor issue was seen as a sign of weakness and were rewarded with Balakot episode designed & intrigued by India itself followed by the annexation of Occupied Kashmir. The sofa-chair diplomacy that followed by PM Khan cemented his inability to handle such matters even further where he and his foreign Minister compromised Pakistan’s and Kashmir’s interest by not making an aggressive diplomatic push by visiting and meeting foreign leaders to garner support against India’s actions. They resorted to phone calls and interviews which is the weakest action possible. All this compromised Pakistan’s support against annexation and it was able to get very limited support diplomatically.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did exactly what he had promised during his elections campaign, to revoke Article 370.
“But Pakistan PM, Imran Khan, the day he was to give a policy statement (on Kashmir), he got up to say ‘I knew he (Modi) was going to do this’. Imran said he knew this when he met Modi in Bishkek”.
“When you knew this was going to happen, then why did you extend the hand of friendship to Modi and why were you giving him missed calls just because Modi congratulated you on your victory.”
When you knew all this, you didn’t do anything, which means you were incapable and incompetent of doing anything or you are very weak and in order to appease your enemy country you can even bargain on “national interests”.
Imran Khan led government without any shadow of doubt completely failed in its diplomacy over Kashmir and compromised the Kashmir issue over Afghanistan, Kashmir is out of our hands now since August 5, 2019 but his government foreign policy failed to raise concern from international community diplomatically and even our brotherly & friendly countries restrained to condemn India over the Kashmir issue and thus PM Khan allowed it to slip the issue into India’s hands deliberately.
Imran Khan led PTI government in Pakistan also unconditionally supported India to become member of United Nation Security Council UNSC with massive votes instead of raising its inhumane brutalities and atrocities in occupied valley of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the opinion of many analysts human rights violation of India in illegal occupied territory and Kashmir issue is completely “dusted” due to the courtesy of incompetent government of PM Imran Khan.
Imran Khan has done disastrous and irreparable damage to Pakistan where even decade’s old friends are aggravated, annoyed or extremely displeased. His government irrational, immature and aggressive statements against one of its oldest ally Saudi Arabia forced the later to demand back in July 2020 to repay $1bn of the loan Riyadh approved in 2018. Riyadh demanded Pakistan repay part of the $3bn loan and frozen a $3.2bn oil credit facility as well. The situation became this much grave even after the payment of loan to Saudi Arab with the help of China that Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had to intervene to resolve the diplomatic spat by personally visiting KSA on immediate basis.
The acrimonious relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia spilled over the senseless statements by the PM Imran Khan led PTI government thus COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa had to visit Saudia to compensate the situation and to smooth over relations with Riyadh.
PM Imran Khan many over excited and senseless statements have caused uncontainable disasters and left Pakistan in a position where country has gone completely isolated on international diplomatic front.PM Khan provocative and false statement about Pakistan Army and intelligence training Al-Qaeda, his needless rambling about Iran being a victim of terrorists hailing from Pakistani soil; his undermining of Pakistan’s foreign policy by stating there is no border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and that the Durrand Line was just a creation of the westerners and slamming Pakistan Ambassadors to perform. But above all Imran Khan’s megaphone foreign policy made a mess of the delicate balance maintained by Islamabad regarding the relations with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) and other critical Muslim strategic partners like Turkey, Malaysia, Iran and others.
Imran Khan had promised Kashmiris that he will become an ambassador for them but he contrary to his election promises become an advocate for KulbhushanJadhav and is trying to give him NRO through Pakistani courts and by promulgating laws in the parliament of the country to rescue an Indian spy who was caught red handedly by Pakistan No 1 agency ISI for his heinous terrorist activities in Baluchistan and other parts of the country.
PM Imran Khan lacks decisiveness and trying to appease Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.PM Imran Khan has in fact undermine the Kashmir freedom movement.
Kashmir indeed is a disputed territory as designated by United Nation in 1948 and hence assured through its resolution to give Kashmiris the right of self-determination via plebiscite to choose its destiny.
“Since then, no Indian government had the courage to change the disputed status of the territory. But on Aug 5, 2019, Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi’s government unilaterally changed it. Before this Pakistan had seen democratic governments, Martial laws and caretaker government setups but India had never gotten the courage to change the status of Kashmir.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan had “bargained away” Kashmir in a meeting with United States President Donald Trump.
Pakistan Intelligence agencies had informed PM Imran Khan that India had sent 200,000 troops into Kashmir and he should tour Muslim countries and stop this atrocity but PM Khan negated Intelligence agencies advice, he was even informed that Indian National Security Adviser AjitDoval himself went to occupied Kashmir to oversee the situation before the annexation. India had also sent away all tourists from the occupied valley two months prior to the annexation but PM Imran Khan refused to pay heed to the advises of the intelligence agencies which made his intentions quite fishy towards Kashmir.
The fascist regime of Modi imposed lockdown in the IIOJK after the abrogation of Article 370 in the territory which is continued even today. A complete internet shut down, telephone lines were disconnected, 4G, 5G services in the territory suspended. Access to information is tightly controlled, including newspapers and access curtailed only to a curated list of websites.
Indiscriminate imposition of Section 144, CRPC which violates people’s basic rights of assembly, meeting, association and expression, the widespread use of the draconian J&K Public Safety Act and the mass use of UAPA and other laws leading to the continued detention of citizens, political leaders lawyers, journalists and others, has effectively silenced democratic voices, preventing the voicing of dissent
Kashmir is bleeding .Our Mothers and sisters are being assaulted by Indian troops in Illegal Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir almost on daily basis, Kashmiri sons are martyred, Kashmiris properties being occupied, outside intruders are allowed by Modi racist regime to purchase properties in occupied territory to alter the demography there. Old citizens are brutally beaten and killed even in front of infants. Our souls are hurt and wounded.
Due to the Imran Khan’s ineptitude and incompetence policy, Kashmir falls into Modi’s lap, and Pakistan lost cause of Kashmir, his weak government policies India had gotten the courage to annex the disputed territory.
Pakistan’s few days PTI federal finance minister HammadAzhar had announced the decision to import cotton and sugar from India & to normalize trade ties with India and defended the move in the face of questions from the media and requested Pakistan media to support Imran Khan government decision to revive back trade ties with India.
This decision was widely criticized by the people and opposition parties of Pakistan which restricted and prevented government panel’s decision to allow imports of sugar and cotton from the neighbouring enemy country.
The green signal for the imports was also seen in the context of a thaw in relations between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Armies of the two sides recommitted themselves to a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir in the month of March 2021.
PM Imran Khan persuading its media lobby in Pakistan to forget Kashmir and bloodshed of innocent Kashmiris as his prior most agenda is to bring his own house (Pakistan) into order, the same words uttered by then Prime Minister Mohammed Nawaz Sharif which resulted in suspension of his democratic government via controversial court verdict on Panama leaks.
The long list of diplomatic and foreign policy blunders by PM Imran Khan and his government has dealt disastrous damage to Pakistan and its national interests. The risks to the country’s strategic and security interests are at an all-time high and I have got no qualm in claiming that PM Imran Khan and his government has become a real “security threat” to the country.
