- Kartarpur was part of a pattern of diplomatic defeat
In its bid to isolate Pakistan, India has bent over backwards, but all its scheming and machinations have come to naught. By establishing the Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan won the hearts and minds of the Sikh Community the world over. This is a momentous achievement for Pakistan, owing to the reverence of the Corridor for the Sikh community on religious grounds.
Sikhs are a brave nation but have been persecuted and targeted by various governments in India. They have not forgotten the desecration of the holiest of Sikh sites, the Golden Temple at Amritsar in June 1984, or the massacre of thousands of Sikhs in India following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Thousands of Sikhs migrated to Canada, UK and the USA, but their holy sites remain in India and Pakistan, and they long to visit them and pay homage there. Last year the government of Pakistan announced the establishment of the Kartarpur border corridor between India and Pakistan, connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib (located in Indian Punjab) and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Punjab, Pakistan. Currently under planning, the 4.7 km (2.9 miles) corridor from the Pakistan-India border is intended to allow religious devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur without a visa. The corridor will reportedly be completed before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019.
It is high time that India learnt its lesson and adopts a rational approach to diplomacy lest it commits more faux pas and brings shame to itself
India has been dragging its feet on the project, but the Sikhs are cognisant of the Indian Government’s malafide intent and do not shy in giving due credit to politico-military leadership of Pakistan for initiation of the Corridor. Fast pace of development work on the Pakistan side indicates the seriousness of the Pakistan Government and Kartarpur has become a chart-buster. It is observed with concern that numerous Indian departments, which are willing or are endeavouring to participate in the Kartarpur Corridor-related activities in any capacity are ignorant of the already existing Evacuee Trust Property Board and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which have a fundamental official responsibility to look-after Sikh community affairs and Gurdwaras in Pakistan.
Some of the visible trends include enhanced interaction of Sikh bodies/individuals from NRI (Non-resident Indians) or the Diaspora with missions abroad and political hierarchy in Pakistan, showing interest in investments or sponsoring of welfare projects at gurdwaras in Pakistan and Kartarpur, Narowal. Additionally, outreaching to the Sikh Diaspora for fund raising or collection, in individual capacity or through official forums. Hence there is an urgent need for raising of new management bodies, particularly for Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal. It is also recommended that the few Sikhs in Pakistan who are developing connections in the hierarchy, as well as the diplomatic stream, should become relevant.
It has also become apparent that despite doing a lot of spadework for the project, Pakistan has been unable to provide appropriate publicity to the project among the target audience, while India is exploiting all media sources to achieve victory without any displayed performance or groundwork on the corridor. Some nefarious Indian activities include the penetration by HIAs (Hostile Intelligence Agencies) and their sponsored organisations and individuals. They indulge in defaming the Government of Pakistan for fundraising and collection, and sponsor hostile media for propaganda. There is visible confusion in responsibility pertaining to the execution of the project smoothly. Hostile elements are undermining the role and authority of the ETPB and PSGPC.
Thus, individual based assessments, feedbacks and opinions without incorporating official input may lead to wrong decision-making at higher level.
In view of the above observations, it is recommended that the FWO should restrict its role to completion of development work at Kartarpur Corridor. No fund collection be made in the name of Kartarpur project, however, donations may be encouraged and received through the established system of ETPB/PSGPC. The lead role in every Sikh Gurdwara’s Kartarpur related activities be assigned to ETPB and PSGPC. Where necessary, existing component of ETPB/PSGPC may be strengthened to enhance their capability to undertake the required assignment in a befitting manner.
Security mechanism while incorporating police, Punjab Rangers and intelligence tentacles is mandatory during Sikh rituals at all functional Gurdwaras, particularly Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, on the 550th Birthday Celebrations in November 2019.
India has also lost diplomatic credibility following its Pulwama False Flag Operation. Its own External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had to eat humble pie, negating the earlier Indian false claims of killing 350 alleged terrorists in its failed surgical strike at Balakot in Pakistan. In fact, she admitted that not a single person was killed in the 26 February surgical strike.
India also claimed that its air force shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during the 27 February melee at the LoC. US authorities promptly dispatched two separate officials to confirm the Indian claim. Both officials reported that all Pakistani F-16 aircraft were present and accounted for.
India desperately attempted to formally ask the US government to share with India information on the use of F-16 fighter jets by the Pakistan Air Force during the February 27 dogfight. The US State Department formally declined, stating: “Soon after we were informed by the Indian side about Pakistan using F-16 aircraft on February 27, we informed the Indians that we will not be sharing any information on the subject as it is a bilateral matter between the US and Pakistan.” The official said that India understood the US position, which was not India- or Pakistan-specific. “If a third country tomorrow wants information about the C130 or C17 or Apaches that the IAF uses, our answer would be the same. It is a bilateral matter between India and the US,” the official added.
If that were not enough, at the VIII Moscow Conference April 23-25, 2019, India suffered a diplomatic drubbing. During the Round-table on military cooperation and regional security, an Indian admiral tried to dwell upon ‘The concept of Indo-Pacific Region: prospects and assessments.’ The moderator, Maj Gen Alexander Zinchenko, Deputy Chief, Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Ministry of Defence, Russian Federation, snubbed the Indian seaman stating that India is not a littoral state to the Pacific Ocean and has no business in calling it “Indo-Pacific Region”. In the near past, India has been trying to fish in troubled waters, by meddling in the South China Sea dispute, sending its warships to the region much to the chagrin of China.
May Day 2019 brought further doom and gloom to Indian diplomacy although it is trying to put up a bold face and feign victory. After Pulwama, India tried to link Masood Azhar with state institutions and also Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. China and Pakistan succeeded in avoiding the UNSC and brought back the matter to sanctions committee, delinked it with state institutions and labelling of the J&K movement as terrorism. It may be remembered that Masood Azhar and Jaish-e-Mohammed were defunct and disbanded since 2002. The listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by Sanctions committee under 1267 will continue the restrictions on Masood Azhar.
Pakistan has no additional penalties nor is bound to take legal action against MMA.
It is high time that India learnt its lesson and adopts a rational approach to diplomacy lest it commits more faux pas and brings shame to itself. China has helped Pakistan through a technical hold since 2008 and continues to do so.
