Keeping in mind the history of bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, the decision of granting India the MFN status was taken in pure militaristic fashion. Neither was it discussed in parliament, nor in the Senate. Political parties from across the board were also not consulted or taken into confidence. No discussions were conducted in the media either. The decision was taken abruptly by the Cabinet; the information minister announced it promptly after. Given this rushed manner of things, the furore that followed was to be expected.
This is not how decisions are taken in a democracy. Especially decisions that relate to the foreign policy, and the most sensitive matter in the foreign policy that will affect the day to day lives of common people at that. It’s worth noting that India has already given Pakistan the MFN status some time back but no Pakistani government was able to take the requisite reciprocal step. This means that their existed strong resistance to the issue. Then why did the government adopt this militaristic approach rather than trying to iron out public opinion? Such approaches are bound to have negative fallouts and this is what happened.
As soon as the information minister made the announcement, a storm of opposition was raised. The lobbies whose interests have been entrenched over decades on the basis of animosity with India cannot bear any betterment in relations. The life of these lobbies depends on India-enmity. Without changing their mindsets and the nature of their interest, no action will amount to anything.
The best time to give the MFN status to India was when they had given it to us. But that action has now gathered the dust of passing time and lost its impact. The goodwill that would’ve been generated if both the countries had taken the action together as per a proper agreed-upon plan would have been significant and the public would then have seen the practical advantages of this decision.
India did not give any trading concessions to Pakistan after granting it the MFN status. This gave the signal that this decision was mere point-scoring in the international arena. If India was indeed interested in generating goodwill, it could have unilaterally taken some steps just as it had given the MFN status unilaterally. If Pakistan had begun to get facilities from the Indian end, pressures from the Pakistani end would automatically have begun to generate. But it is our misfortune that neither of the governments seriously tried to take down the wall of hostility erected between them after India invaded Kashmir. In the pride of power, India never took the Pakistani point of view into consideration. It has always wanted that Pakistan relent and accept Kashmir as its part and this is the condition that it sets for better relations. It is not prepared to give way on the Kashmir issue and its rulers have utterly forgotten that the logic which led them to occupy Hyderabad means also meant that Pakistan had a right to Kashmir.
Pakistan let India strengthen its hold on Kashmir due to its own mistakes and was ready to face the brunt. We had repeatedly tried to persuade India to come up with a Kashmir solution that kept the wishes of the Kashmiris in mind and also was acceptable to Pakistan; Pakistan was no longer talking of taking complete control of Kashmir. The formula that is seen to be evolving after negotiation is acceptable to a large extent to India too.
But India has stepped back after agreeing to certain terms many times. The last time an agreement was seen to be evolving was in the time of Musharraf. But India led to an impasse again and spoiled the matter by using the excuse that no negotiations could be carried out with a military government. Now it’s been more almost four years since a democratic dispensation has been in place in Pakistan. The agreement evolved in the Musharraf era could easily have been formalised but there has been no headway on that front.
I know that this is what the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks wanted to achieve. Even the official circles in India are now beginning to recognise that whenever there will be progress on peace, extremists will try to sully the process. Knowing all of this, why is India dragging its feet about coming to an agreement with the democratic government in Pakistan? Sometimes it comes off that India’s avowals of the desire for peace are mere hollow proclamations and that it is waiting for the time when it can unilaterally impose a Kashmir solution of its liking on Pakistan.
Unfortunately, India now has the backing of our dear friend, the US. The expanding influence of terrorist in Pakistan is a danger to the entire world. The idea that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are not safe has gained credence in the US. Which is why they are making plans of denuding Pakistan of its nuclear assets and international opinion is being prepared to that end. Maybe India is waiting in the wings for such an opportunity as well.
I have explained this background at length to set some context for the unexpected nay vote that came from Bangladesh about the inclusion of Pakistan into the WTO. The US and India both want to capitalise on the fact that Pakistan’s position is weak in the current scenario. Our position is weak because of a host of reasons: terrorists using Pakistan as a launchpad to conduct activities against the allied forces, the presence of terrorist havens in FATA and last but not least, OBL being nabbed in Pakistan. We are on the defensive backfoot because all of these things and more. Using this perception that Pakistan cannot be trusted, the US has been pressurising Pakistan economically and have started levying stern conditions on us. A plan has been put into place to corner Pakistan. If my fears are correct, then Bangladesh’s vote against us may be a link in this chain and a result of India-US confluence. They are acting like our well-wishers apparently but have used Bangladesh to backstab Pakistan. The little leverage that we could gain in European markets has also been lost to us.
And this is not where the loss ends. The US will cinch the pipelines coming out of IFIs and will also put stringent conditions on the aid it is giving to us. When talk of the Haqqani group started to pressurise Pakistan, I wrote that this is not just about the Haqqanis but something bigger. Now I will say that the matter is not just having an agreement about Afghanistan but of something bigger. No wonder Hillary Clinton called the situation a ‘game-changer’.
The writer is one of Pakistan’s most widely read columnists.
India invaded Kashmir? Are u insane? It was Pakistan that invaded Kashmir with afghan tribes and Pakistani regulars. They entered Kashmir first. India was invited to deploy troops to beat them back. Get your facts straight Mr Nazir Naji. If all people in Pakistan have this brainwashed knowledge ingrained in their minds, then I can safely tell my countrymen, no peace is possible with Pakistan ever and we cant be friends with you because your perception of History has been distorted beyond repair.
You can't argue with these "angels of truth and reason" my friend. For these bafoons Pakistan is always a victim of some conspiracy or double standards or someone's (Mostly India's) meanness. hahah Just read and have fun. He has no sense of shame on being a host to terrorism ( It is just a small matter) being using them as foreign policy tools but you have gall to tell the world that don't talk of terrorism but please pay us money and importance to put the devil in its place.
It is exactly for this reason I always oppose any dialogue with these Pakistanis.
I was under the impression that at the time of partition Kashmir was a region where the dominant population was that of Muslims. However, at the time the rule of Kashmir, the Raja was a Hindu and therefore wanted to go to India and not to Pakistan.
As per the laws of the partition and the bifurcation of the subcontinent, Muslim populated areas on the border were supposed to be with Pakistan and Indian populated areas on the border were supposed to be with India, so as per the laws and regulations for the division of the country, the Raja who sided with India broke the laws and India’s Government or India enabled the Raja to break the laws thereby effectively invading Kashmir.
Look it up. This is how it happened.
Sir, you have also to bear in mind in what context and what background the dispute started back in 1947.
Well, we Pakistanis are still shivering reading your hard and harsh words. This also reveals the mindset of hardliners like you in India. Calling "insane" to one the senior most journalist like Mr. Nazir Naji also reveals your respect for addressing the elders. Please forgive us Mr. Real Indian. We can't express ourselves any further, because we have just now declared you MFN.
No laws stated that Kashmir was to become part of Pakistan. But Pakistan still invaded Kashmir. What do you call a bunch of Afghan tribesmen and Pakistani irregulars entering territory their are not supposed to without legal authority, not to mention attacking Kashmiris and harassing them. Look it up. So yes the Author is insane making such provocative claims. Being elder does not give him respect and being a journalist it is important he get his facts clear which he hasn't. He sure as hell deserves no respect whatsoever.
WoW !!!
"India did not give any trading concessions to Pakistan after granting it the MFN status" What concession you are giving to India ? India shouldn't have given MFN to a country which is sending terrorists to India, nevertheless, it was given to Pakistan. If it was symbolic you could also have done same. Why you didn't do for 15 years ?
"Unfortunately, India now has the backing of our dear friend, the US" Hahah why it is always unfortunate when India has backing of some country ? Don't you shameless cheats know why US is backing India ?
"I know that this is what the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks wanted to achieve" What is stopping you from taking action against LeT ? Because they are your own people and your rogue army has outsourced its war against India to them. You are all one from within as your demands are same.
@ Jeevan
Well, India gave Pakistan the MFN status, as Mr.Naji stated, to score points in the international arena. It was not a really sincere gesture on India’s part cause had it been a sincere gesture, they would have followed through with it. Right? As an example, I call you my best friend, publicly, and everyone applauds this gesture because everyone knows we’re not on the best of terms but then when the applause dies down and everybody gets busy with their things, i don’t really treat you as my best friend. I just treat you the same way as I used to before i called you my best friend. That’s a wicked ploy on my part then and in this case, India’s part.
And pray tell, what are our demands Mr.Jeevan?
Conti "Pakistan let India strengthen its hold on Kashmir due to its own mistakes" Tell me one thing that Pakistan could do and didn't do on Kashmir. From chest beating to terrorism, from propaganda to diplomacy, from overt wars to proxy wars .. you did everything..
Kashmir doesn't belong to you, nor to your proxies in Kashmir valley. So stop shedding crocodile tears for Kashmiris and think about whatever is left of Pakistan. Thats is not the cost we will pay for good relations.
Nazir: Quit. You don't pass the smell test…
And Indians pass the stink test.
Don't stop. Say more. Pick-up where Nazir left:
"… If my fears are correct, then Bangladesh’s vote against us may be a link in this chain and a result of India-US confluence. They are acting like our well-wishers apparently but have used Bangladesh to backstab Pakistan…".
Collect your memory about 1971 war:
1. Fundamentalist sunni dictator Zia was a best friend of "I am not a crook" Nixon.
2. PAF lived on American Sabre jet
3. US sixth fleet rushed into Bay of Bengal to scare Indian Navy off of Chittagong coast.
And now deny this:
"Following India's entry into the war, Pakistan fearing certain defeat, made urgent appeals to the United Nations to intervene and force India to agree to a cease fire. The UN Security Council assembled on 4 December 1971 to discuss the hostilities in South Asia. After lengthy discussions on 7 December, the United States made a resolution for "immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of troops." While supported by the majority, the USSR vetoed the resolution twice. In light of the Pakistani atrocities against Bengalis, the United Kingdom and France abstained on the resolution. … " (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberatio….
Chao…
@Anon
You’re citing wikipedia references? That’s not very credible is it? For all I know you may have written that yourself on wikipedia and then cited it as a reference?
This is typical " PAKISTAN_ON_SALE" by the so called "elected leaders" of this poor country. Shame on them all.
Having India as our friend we don't need an enemy.We must not forget that India is a dishonest partner in peace and trade both.It invades Pakistan in 1971 and cut Pakistan to size.It trained Mukti Bhani terorists armed them and trained them to dismember Pakistan.Not only that India massacered over 100000 innocent Kashmiri children men and women for their cry to demand freedom from India illegal occuption of their state.!n 1984 ( Brass Track) 1990 ( Kashmir uprising) 2001 ( so called attack on Indian parliament) and 2008 ( Mumbai attack) India threathened Pakistan's security and independence.India is behind all sort of terrorist attacks in Balochistan and FATA areas.Indian occuption army soldiers are involved in gang rape of Kashmiri women and our corrupet leaders are granting India as most favoriate nation status. Shame on us.
When Pakistan does not like history, it rewrites it and feeds it to its people. So what do you expect from such bottle-fed idiots? Reason? Intelligence? Rational debate?
Why even have peace talks with Pakistan? They are going to send terrorists like the ones in Mumbai regardless. Pakistan has virtually nothing to offer India. India should ignore any noise coming out of Pakistan. It is not like India is going to benefit from Pakistan.
No India didn't invade Kashmir first but they invaded Hyderabad and Junagarh who announced joining Pakistan. Actually Pakistani Army and not tribal lashkar should have invaded Kashmir and taken over Kashmir. Jinnah, from his death bed, ordered General Gracey(English commander of Pakistani Army at that time) to attack Kashmir and takeover Kashmir. But he refused and for that reason tribal lashkar was used. That was a great mistake. Jinnah should have fired Graced and ordered Pakistani Army to take over Kashmir. Pakistan is still paying for that mistake.
Wrong! th popl of hyderabad and junagarh whoa re ovrwhlmingly (ovr 90%) Hindus revoltd against their alien kings and askd for union with India. No such revolt took place in kashmir. In fact the most popular leade of kashmir -Sheikh abdullah refused jinnah's offer of kashmir joining pakistan as he wanted to join India. It was much later under plbiscite front that demands of some section in kashmir valley for mrgr with pakistan. Moreover ovrwhelming majorities in jammu and ladhakh are against any merger with pakistan and there was no partition formula except for muslim districts for pakistan and hindu for india . Advice to pakistanis-forget about india and kashmir
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