After fighting three wars and two near-wars, a consensus has emerged in the country that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through recourse to arms. After this the only option is dialogue combined with attempts to internationalise the issue. It is incomprehensible on the part of Prime Minister Imran Khan to close the door for talks with India. In his address to the nation, he said that time had come for Pakistan’s Kashmir policy to take a “decisive” turn. What this means remains to be explained like his promise to “go to any lengths” to support the cause of the people of occupied Kashmir.
Irrespective of differences, the door for talks must always remain open. A successful politician is one who can wrest victory out of the jaws of defeat through negotiations.
The hype about the “successful” meeting with US President Donald Trump was aimed at political point scoring and was altogether uncalled for. That Mr Trump has taken a U-turn, asking India and Pakistan to resolve their issues through bilateral talks, should not lead to any extreme reaction.
A similar point scoring followed as the issue landed up at the UNSC. The move however did not help, beyond boosting the morale of the people of occupied Kashmir. The meeting neither condemned Indian atrocities nor passed strictures on the revocation of Article 370. The telephone calls to the British PM and Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman were of little use. Expecting Turkey or Malaysia to persuade India was equally unrealistic. However to conceive of a situation where no country other than Pakistan might support the Kashmir cause, can only spread despair.
Mr Khan needs to take Parliament on board on the future line of action, instead of issuing unsustainable calls like weekly shows of solidarity with the Kashmiri people. It is good to call on expatriates in important world capitals to hold big rallies. It is equally important to hold impressive rallies in Pakistan which the government has failed to do. Instead of making it an unimpressive one-party show, the opposition should be taken on board. Similarly, delegations comprising seasoned politicians taken from all parties should be sent abroad to interact with media persons, think tanks, political leaders and pressure groups.
