Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US is in world focus. Coming in sequence after Indian interactions with Asian giants like Japan and China, it attains greater significance. As far as SAARC nations are concerned it also attains regional importance. For Pakistan, it is bound to create ripples as the US lays out a red carpet reception to Indian Prime Minister. The UN General Assembly in New York this year has provided India an excellent opportunity to project itself and redefine not just its place in the world but its strategic equation vis a vis America as the world’s largest democracy. The new emerging dimensions can have an immediate potentially significant impact on the Pakistan-America equation. In such backdrop for Pakistan to find herself in uncertainty about its domestic political equations, uncertainty about its global acceptance and uncertainty about its equation with the White House is natural and not far from reality.
Pakistan’s persistent harping rhetoric on Kashmir echoes its desperation for relevance and survival of its recognition while raising the Kashmir bogey in the garb of HR issues in Kashmir with a smoke screen on the worst treatment being meted out to Hindu, Sikh and Christian minorities in Pakistan and her own terror regime. Pakistan’s repeated attempts to seek third party intervention to resolve imaginary Kashmir issue has been snubbed by international agencies. The move to harp on Kashmir at UNGA is futile and yet a survival compulsion for Pakistan, externally and in her ding dong internal politics with the army hawks breathing up the necks of her civilian government.
Pakistan raises the ‘K’ issue annually at UNGA as ritual. Attention this time is on the new government in India, which talks tough with Pakistan and is not receptive to her stooges in India pampered by successive governments under their ‘appeasement’ policy of misplaced approach to vote bank politics. Pakistan should be told to vacate PoK, restore 15th Aug 1947 position as pre-requisite to plebiscite and then reminded of Simla Agreement.
While Modi has bigger global aims in mind of seat in UNSC and to bolster “make in India” ethos and inviting large scale investments for development, progress and growth as a world power; for Pakistan it is a struggle for survival.
