Raising the Kashmir issue

Pakistan and India at the UN

Raising the Kashmir issue at different forums and in bilateral talks and highlighting the Indian support for terrorism inside Pakistan seemed to be the two prongs of Pakistan’s policy during the UNGA session. The policy was formulated after India declined to hold talks on Kashmir and insisted on discussing only the issue of terrorism. Islamabad subsequently took the position that there can be no talks with India without Kashmir being on the agenda. Meanwhile, Islamabad accused RAW of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan.

Pakistan’s two-pronged policy so far has not produced any tangible results. In his talks with Nawaz Sharif Ban Ki-moon made it clear that the Kashmir issue as well as the tensions on the LoC can better be dealt with bilaterally through peaceful dialogue. A more realistic FO has however recorded a valid objection by writing to the Security Council against a perceived move by India to construct a wall along the LoC.

Sartaj Aziz had declared that he was taking the proofs of India’s support for terrorism in Pakistan with him to the UN. So far there has been no word regarding Pakistan putting the evidence before its allies. Senator John Kerry instead indirectly put the blame on Pakistan for not doing enough to control the terrorists. While the IS, he said, was the primary source of worry, there were other equally lethal outfits like the LeT.

India has to realise that it cannot pressurise Pakistan into ignoring the Kashmir issue. India, therefore, has to agree to discuss it if it does not want Pakistan to internationalise the issue. Pakistan, on the other hand, needs to realise that improved Pak-India relations alone can help create an environment required to resolve the Kashmir issue and make the border peaceful. The best policy is to start from taking up the easier issues like enhancement of trade and people to people contacts and move on to the more complex ones, with Kashmir which is the knottiest of all coming at the end.