Skip to main content

Modi wants Pak govt be held responsible for JeM terror strike: World doesn't agree

JeM chief Masood Azhar
By Sandeep Pandey*
I went to participate in a candle light homage paying event at Dr BR Ambedkar's statue organised by about 200 Dalit students on Hazratganj main crossing in Lucknow on February 16, 2019 evening, two days after the dastardly terrorist act in Pulwana, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), in which 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was killed.
While the condolence meeting by Dalit students was sombre with no slogans being raised, at the neighbouring Mahatma Gandhi statue, much smaller nationalist groups of different shades were crying hoarse over each other shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, a sight that may have made Gandhi cringe.
The crucial question that arises is why do such terrorist attacks continue to take place, if the Indian government, as claimed by the Prime Minister, has already given a fitting reply to Pakistan after the Uri terrorist attack in the form a surgical strike?
There is a clamour among the Hindutva hardliners for a stronger surgical strike. If the 2016 surgical strike has not deterred Pakistan-based terror groups or the Pakistani Army, what is the guarantee that a fresh one will do? And how much stronger surgical strike can be launched before it triggers a war? And who knows when the war will degenerate into a nuclear one? In fact, the Government of India's hard-line position against Pakistan and refusal to dialogue has made the situation worse.
While in Afghanistan, as the United States prepares to pull out its troops, India has been left in the cold. Donald Trump, who till now had adopted a reprimanding attitude towards Pakistan for having given shelter to terrorist organisations, has now realised its importance in brokering a peace deal with Taliban. Now he ridicules Narendra Modi as someone who tells him that India has built a library, undermining the Parliament building made by the previous Indian government, in Kabul.
Meanwhile, Narendra Modi, who did not spare any international fora to demand isolation of Pakistan for its role in promoting terror failed to convince even any one important nation. China blocks Indian attempt at United Nations to declare Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, the man behind 2001 Parliament attack and also behind the recent Pulwama incident, as a global terrorist. Russia, till sometime back considered close to India, is now building a military partnership with Pakistan.
The Indian government, like in past terrorist attacks, continues to blame Pakistan for the Pulwama terrorist attack. Can the Pakistani government be held responsible for JeM's act? India thinks so, but the rest of the world doesn't agree with this point of view. Will the Pakistani government risk supporting such an attack on India when it is just about to host US-Taliban talks in Islamabad and it is happy to be back in the good books of US? It desperately needs the US financial help to sustain its security apparatus.
India must realise that the victim card it plays is not isolating Pakistan but it is increasingly making India helpless. In no position to launch a full-fledged war because of the impending danger of use of nuclear weapons, it is in India's interest to buy peace with Pakistan and restore normalcy in Kashmir.
Facing marginalisation in Afghanistan peace talks, the Indian government, through its Army chief Bipin Rawat, has signaled that it is willing to talk to Taliban. This same government refuses to engage with the elected government of Pakistan, failed to pull along a coalition in J&K with the People's Democratic Party and does not acknowledge the presence of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, which possibly has more hold on people than any political party there.
In fact, it questioned Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for having had telephonic talks with Hurriyat leaders recently. It doesn't believe in dialogue and doesn't want anybody else to dialogue with anybody else. This holier than thou attitude has played havoc with people of J&K.
If the Indian government has no qualm about talking to Taliban then it should reconsider its position on avoiding dialogue with Pakistan and Kashmiri political actors. Imran Khan has pre-empted India by taking the Kartarpur Corridor initiative forcing it to cooperate as Indian government cannot afford to hurt religious sentiments of the Sikh community.
It should initiate full-fledged dialogue process at the highest level. It cannot hope to have a better combination than Imran Khan-Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the helm of affairs in Pakistan. It is a pity that there are attempts to cow down Navjot Singh Sidhu for advocating dialogue with Pakistan, who seems to be the only Indian politician who is trying to inject some sanity in the otherwise virulent atmosphere created in the country in the name of nationalist politics.
To restore peace in J&K, the Indian government must engage Hurriyat leaders, pave the way for State elections, possibly along with general elections, and help in the formation of next elected government. But most importantly, the army and para-military forces have to be pulled out from inside Kashmir.
The Indian government has to trust J&K government once to run its affairs on its own with the help of local police to control law and order situation like in other states. The Army's role should be limited to protecting borders only. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act must be given a silent burial, vocal demand for which was made Omar Abdullah when he was serving as Chief Minister. In essence, until Indian government stops treating Kashmir like its colony, peace is unlikely to return to the valley. No government can use pellet guns on its own people.
We have moved away from the Gandhian values, especially in the current regime headed by Narendra Modi, who doesn't visualise Gandhi's role beyond the sanitation campaign. And we have to rely on our Constitution to bring back normalcy to Kashmir.
Narendra Modi has to expand his publicly declared chest size of 56 inches to allow a larger heart to extend a hand of friendship and peace to people of Kashmir, its political actors, even those of separatist hues, and Pakistan. It must reach a written or an unwritten arrangement, just like the one with China, not to let soldiers from either side use any fire power.
Both governments will have to jointly deal with terrorists because terror organisations based in Pakistan are hurting Pakistani population probably more than Indian population, something which very few people realise from Indian point of view.
---
*Magsaysay award winning social activist, scholar. Contact: ashaashram@yahoo.com

Comments

Uma said…
What dismays me most is that ordinary Kashmiris are being victimised as also Muslims in some parts. No one realises that raising the tariffs on Pakistani products and blocking exports to Pakistan is hurting the ordinary Pakistani as well as Indians engaged in trade with Pakistan.
Anonymous said…
Hiya very nice blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Superb ..
I'll bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally?I'm happy to search out numerous
helpful information right here within the put up,
we need ork out more strategies onn this regard, thank you for
sharing.

TRENDING

'Draconian' Kerala health law follows WHO diktat: Govt readies to take harsh measures

By Dr Maya Valecha*  The Governor of Kerala has signed the Kerala Public Health Bill, which essentially reverses the people’s campaign in healthcare services in Kerala for decentralisation. The campaign had led to relinquishing of state powers in 1996, resulting in improvement of health parameters in Kerala. Instead, now, enforcement of law through the exercise of power, fines, etc., and the implementation of protocol during the pandemic, are considered of prime importance.

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative  Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza*  An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000. 

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Work with Rajasthan's camel herders: German scientist wins World Cookbook Award 2023

By Rosamma Thomas*  Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are the only awards for international food culture. This year, German scientist  Ilse Kohler Rollefson , founder of Camel Charisma, the first of India’s camel dairies, in Pali district of Rajasthan, won the award for her work with camel herders in Rajasthan, and for preparing for the UN International Year of Camelids, 2024. 

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco*  Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

'Very low rung in quality ladder': Critique of ICMR study on 'sudden deaths' post-2021

By Bhaskaran Raman*  Since about mid-2021, a new phenomenon of extreme concern has been observed throughout the world, including India : unexplained sudden deaths of seemingly healthy and active people, especially youngsters. In the recently concluded Navratri garba celebrations, an unprecedented number of young persons succumbed to heart attack deaths. After a long delay, ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) has finally has published a case-control study on sudden deaths among Indians of age 18-45.

'Pro-corporate agenda': Odisha crackdown on tribal slum dwellers fighting for land rights

By Our Representative  The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), even as condemning what it calls “brutal repression” on the Adivasi slum dwellers of Salia Sahi in Bhubaneshwar by the Odisha police, has said that the crackdown was against the tribals struggling for land rights in order to “stop the attempts at land-grab by the government.”

Deplorable, influential sections 'still believe' burning coal is essential indefinitely

By Shankar Sharma*  Some of the recent developments in the power sector, as some  recent news items show, should be of massive relevance/ interest to our policy makers in India. Assuming that our authorities are officially mandated/ committed to maintain a holistic approach to the overall welfare of all sections of our society, including the flora, fauna and general environment, these developments/ experiences from different parts of the globe should be clear pointers to the sustainable energy pathways for our people.