JAMMU: Can right wing Indian politicians anymore blame Kashmir centric politicians or Pak apologist pseudo secularists across the country for showing bonhomie with the rogue neighbouring country when they themselves are clueless how to tackle Pakistan? There can be no worse example of hypocrisy than calling off various engagements with Islamabad following Pathankote, Pampore and Uri attacks than continuing with the cross border trade via Salamabad Uri and Chakan-Da-Bagh in Jammu and Kashmir and Samjhauta Express via Wagah in Punjab. India put off official level talks with Pakistan, boycotted SAARC summit in Islamabad resulting in its indefinite postponement and refused to play cricket, among other sporting events, because of the border hostilities but maintained stoic silence over rail and trade links, notwithstanding their negative fallout.
In this hypocritical and pathetic situation, India’s political class as a whole has failed in rising the occasion, despite the terror state of Pakistan indulging in most barbaric and inhuman acts of mutilating bodies of soldiers. No political party, civil society group or even the pro-active media has ever questioned continuation of cross-border trade and travel, despite high-voltage campaign to ban the movies with Pakistan actors in cast.
Even as the fourth act of mutilation or beheading the Indian soldier has taken place on Line of Control neither the ruling alliance nor the opposition has any priority to revisit India’s relations with Pakistan. The so-called mainstream politicians in the Valley have been adding insult to injury by repeatedly vouching for Indo-Pak dialogue and making borders irrelevant to promote trade and people- to-people exchange. By opening up borders with Pakistan, Indian has achieved nothing except import of fake currency, drugs or infiltrators. So the questions arises why don’t politically powerful entities in India’s ruling and opposition camps raise this issue and seek cancellation of trade and travel?
Cross-border trade in Kashmir has emerged as a favourite route for terror mentors across the Line of Control to transport drugs, fake counterfeit and even unwanted elements. On 15th January 2014, Pakistan detained 27 Indian trucks carrying merchandise from the Valley in retaliation to seizure of a truck transporting big haul of 100 kilograms of brown sugar valued at over Rs 100 crore at Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri. Instead of explaining, the PoK authorities showed fists. Not only daring to detain the drivers from this side, they had even refused entry to their own load carriers until the brown-sugar laden truck was not returned. The Kashmir centric parties, including Congress and National Conference, which were allies in the government then did not speak a word least to take legal recourse. The then UPA government in New Delhi also showed criminal indifference by giving impression as if the smuggling was a routine economic offence committed on Line of Control. Strikingly, the NDA which came to power months after the incident also forgot the bravado BJP had shown during peak of electioneering. They went a step ahead by promising more CBMs with Pakistan and even included this in the Agenda of Alliance for having a government with the PDP. The self-styled nationalist Jammu Chamber of Commerce also remained mute over the detention of trucks, smuggling of narcotics in the mistaken belief of promoting business with Pakistan, notwithstanding the cross border trade benefitting the other side more than Jammu and Kashmir.
India is at cross roads of history. The skirmishes on the IB and LoC are alarmingly and menacingly growing. The BJP, which is now in command in New Delhi should recall its posturing when in the Opposition and act decisively. Just before 2014 elections and in the aftermath of the beheading of Lance Naik Hem Raj, the BJP had sought snapping of diplomatic ties with Pakistan on a limited scale. Now that the party is in a decision taking mode, the BJP should forthwith revisit its Pakistan policy and as a first step put an end to cross border trade and travel by both Samjhauta Express and Karvan-e-Aman. Such a decision will serve as a deterrent along with military action as may be required, depending upon the enveloping situation on borders. Such a step will indeed send a strong signal to the rogue nation in India’s backyards about the country’s concern over continued border skirmishes and demonizing acts of terrorism. Trade and terror cannot go together.