Pak-India breakdown again
Ch Nisar and Rajnath Singh put forth their respective stands on Kashmir and terrorism on the second day of the SAARC Foreign Ministers Conference. The Conference came at a time when the agitation in Kashmir in the wake of the killing of Burhan Wani had entered 27th day. Pakistan stood by the Kashmiri protesters with Nawaz Sharif telling a gathering of Pakistani diplomats a day before that Kashmir was witnessing a new wave of freedom movement. Sharif directed the diplomats to appraise the world that Kashmir was not an internal matter of India. Hitting back at the Conference Rajnath Singh said merely condemning terrorists was not enough and that there should be strong action against “individuals, organisations and nations” who lend support to terrorists. Ch Nisar, on his turn, responded by saying that the violence and torture being committed against the innocent people of Indian held Kashmir including children is open terrorism. Soon after the first session on the second day of the Conference, an incensed Indian home minister abruptly left for New Delhi without attending the luncheon or making the traditional call on the prime minister with other SAARC ministers against an earlier decision of the Indian government as reported by Hindustan Times.
The confrontation between the two countries does not bode well for SAARC. Set up three decades back to promote economic, social and technical cooperation and projection of cultural similarities it has failed to realise its potential on account of the lingering tension between the two major members of the regional group, Pakistan and India.
Problems between Pakistan and India can only be resolved through better diplomacy. SAARC provides a platform for interaction between the two countries. It should have been used to reduce mutual tensions and improve ties. Putting forth one’s point of view in the formal meeting and abruptly leaving is not good statesmanship. The ‘take it or leave it’ attitude does not promote understanding. In case both sides continue to show inflexibility, the forthcoming SAARC summit will end up in mutual recrimination.
