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| Modi says talks and terror cannot go hand-in-hand | | Kashmir in UN | |
Neha
JAMMU, Sept 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday put Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his place at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session by calling his bluff and telling the international community that it was no use raking up Kashmir issue at the United Nations as Jammu & Kashmir was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. In fact, he without naming the powerless and beleaguered Pakistani Prime Minister, who has been trying his best to save his chair, told Islamabad that India was prepared to engage with it provided it behaved in a responsible manner as a responsible state. He set three specific conditions - stop exporting terror to India, stop talking to the irrelevant Kashmiri separatists and stop using terror as a political weapon to achieve its ulterior geo-political and sectarian interests in Jammu & Kashmir. "I am prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote our friendship and cooperation. However, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate environment," he told the UNGA, and added that "raising issues in this forum (UNGA) is not the way to make progress towards resolving issues between our two countries".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the 69th session of the UNGA at New York and this was his maiden address at this international forum. The crux of his whole formulation as far as the Kashmir issue was concerned was that Pakistan was responsible for the vitiation of atmosphere in the region by adopting terrorism as a state policy and that if Islamabad really wished friendly talks with New Delhi, the Pakistani leadership had no other option but to rein in those elements in Pakistan who exported terrorism to India to disintegrate India. Yet another very significant part of his speech as far as Jammu & Kashmir was concerned was his deep concern for the flood-affected people of the state. "Instead of raising (the Kashmir) issue at the UN, today we should be thinking about the victims of floods in Jammu & Kashmir. In India, we have organized massive flood relief operations and have also offered assistance for Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir," he said. Indeed, Prime Minister Modi put things in perspective and even won the Congress party which the same day endorsed the Modi line. Congress national spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam only endorsed the Modi line when he said no talks with Pakistan unless it behaved and he echoed the Congress view during a TV debate on the speech of Modi in the UNGA. Two other Congress leaders, including former Foreign Minister Salman Khursheed and Sandeep Dixit, also expressed identical views. Remember, just a day before, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had made a strident speech in the UNGA and shamelessly accused India of going back on its promise that it would hold a plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir and enable its people to decide their political future. In fact, he had made a nasty speech at the international forum and spoke in a language no responsible leader would ever use. He had, among other things, said: A "veil" cannot be drawn over the 'core' issue of Kashmir…Our support and advocacy of the right to self- determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is our historic commitment and a duty, as a party to the Kashmir dispute…More than six decades ago, the UN had passed resolutions to hold a plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir. The people of Jammu & Kashmir are still waiting for the fulfillment of that promise…Many generations of Kashmiris have lived their lives under occupation, accompanied by violence and abuse of their fundamental rights. Kashmiri women, in particular, have undergone immense suffering and humiliation…The core issue of Jammu & Kashmir has to be resolved. This is the responsibility of the international community. We cannot draw a veil on the issue of Kashmir, until it is addressed in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir…We were disappointed at the cancellation of the Foreign Secretary-level talks. The world community, too, rightly saw it as another missed opportunity". Nawaz Sharif, who has been rendered completely irrelevant by the Pakistani army, the ISI, radical elements and others, speech was highly outrageous, factually incorrect and aimed at conciliating those in Pakistan who are after his head. Even sections of Pakistani media regretted that Sharif went too far. Sharif might have pleased his detractors in Pakistan, but he lost his whole credibility in the eyes of the international community which has no interest in Jammu & Kashmir and which, like India, believes that Jammu & Kashmir is a bilateral issue. The UN has not taken up Kashmir issue for more than 50 years now and a vast majority of the people of this part of Jammu & Kashmir has cheerfully and willingly linked their fate with India by exercising their right to franchise not once but several times. All in all, it can be said that New Delhi showed Islamabad its rightful place at the UNGA and told the international community without mincing words that India was fed up with the menace of terrorism and sectarian politics and that it would do business only with those who are interested in the politics of development and world peace. That Modi would not meet Sharif on the margins of the UNNA speaks for itself. |
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