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| Delhi not shaken by Zardari and Khar's rant on Kashmir | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 29: Presumably having buckled under the pressure from the Army, the ISI and the extremists both Pakistan President, Asif Ali Zardari and the Foreign Minister, Hina Rabani Khar, have left no stone unturned in raking up the Kashmir issue on the floor of the United Nations.
The two made no secret of their plan of continuing moral, diplomatic and material support to the people of Kashmir, who according to Zardari and Khar, were engaged in the liberation struggle.
Seemingly Zardari and Khar do not feel the need for listening to Washington's suggestions on the need for resolving the Kashmir issue amicably through sustained dialogue because they know that the US engagement in Afghanistan was now a short lived affair.
What Zardari said in the UN General Assembly found an echo in Hina Rabbani Khar's rant on Kashmir which indicated that Islamabad was preparing a fresh ground for confrontation with New Delhi on Kashmir. If one examines the speeches of Zardari and Khar in the UN General Assembly one may not have any hesitation in blaming Pakistan for having again resorted to its old tactics of raking up the Kashmir issue.
Both President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, have sought a solution to the issue under UN resolution when they fully knew that India would neither concede this demand nor opt for a third-party mediation.
It was Delhi's firm stand on a third-party mediation that even the US President Barrack Obama opposed any third country's mediation or intervention and instead has supported settlement of all the disputes between India and Pakistan through the process of dialogue.
Finding his political standing shaky in Pakistan Zardari used the UN General Assembly as the most proper forum for fulminating not only against India but also against the UN. This became evident when he said Kashmir remains a symbol of failure of the UN system and Pakistan's principled position on territorial disputes remains a bedrock of its foreign policy.
"Kashmir remains a symbol of failures, rather than strengths of the UN system," Zardari said in his 20-minute speech at the 67th session of the UN General Assembly .
"We feel that resolution of these issues can only be arrived in an environment of cooperation," he said.
"We will continue to support the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to peacefully choose their destiny in accordance with the UN Security Council's long-standing resolutions on this matter," the Pakistani President said.
By saying all these words does he expect cooperation from India ? New Delhi may now onwards adopt tough postures during any bilateral dialogue.
If anyone has any doubt about it one may refer to the latest rebuttal from India's Foreign Secretary, Ranjan Mathai. Mathai has said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have peacefully chosen their destiny in accordance with democratic practices and they continue to do so.
It is a heavy rebuttal and may force Zardari and Khar to be wiser than they have been so far because it would be against the interests of Pakistan if Zardari and the Government he leads continue to dance on the Chinese tunes. If Islamabad talks about the need for settling the bilateral problems through talks it should create an atmosphere for such parleys. It should not believe that by raking up the Kashmir issue, even in the world fora, it can force Delhi to be on the defensive.
Political observers find another angle to Zardari's and Khar's latest stance on Kashmir. They say since the Congress led UPA Government finds itself rattled and rocked by coalgate and other scams besides getting engaged in fighting for survival after TMC withdrew support, Pakistani leaders have wished to cash on it. Alas! they have failed. |
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