India's A-Game Against Pakistan

It's no brainer that India and Pakistan have never exactly been the most friendly neighbours to each other. Despite all the hostility and difference of opinion India has abstained from lodging any direct attack against the neighbour country on the international platform.

While Pakistan has always insisted on having a plebiscite in the war-torn Kashmir valley, often going over-board with its emotions; India, on the other hand, has always asserted its rightful claim to the valley's 'Iron throne'.

But the recent turn of events has been such that the dynamics in the valley have changed completely.

Though terrorist infiltrations, terror attacks, cross-fires and curfews have long plagued the valley, a direct attack on the armed forced has been a rare event. But a recent attack on a troop of army men in Kashmir's Uri sector has changed the parameters that have long governed the politics in the highly volatile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Uri attack has shifted the focus of the global conscience to a region that has been considered an area of bilateral dispute so far.

While the countries that have for long maintained a neutral stand on the issue, have openly picked their side; other nations that have eschewed from making a statement so far, too have declared their loyalties.

Pakistan, which under the circumstances seems to be in a desperate need of cover, has ducked into its constant rant about the Kashmir issue, blaming India for being the 'mad king'.

While Pakistan is facing flak from the global community over nestling terrorism and terror outfits in its protection, things have not been a smooth ride for the Modi government too. People across the nation are blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of inaction and of having a feeble stand, ignoring the bigger picture in the process.

To those who have been following the series of events that have led to nations including US, UK, France, Russia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka isolating Pakistan on the international forum, the heated political curry is a part of India's master-plan against the nation. The events that have unfolded in the recent time seem harmless and discrete. However, when put together in the right order, they hold the key to understanding India's ultimate solution to its nearly seven-decade-old 'Pak problem'.

Here's the breakdown.

India has always taken a defensive stand, prioritising bilateral dialog and negotiations to surf through the rough waters. Her stand as a peace-keeper has helped her to maintain stability and win many friends.

Extending the same tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an impromptu visit to Lahore last year to wish Pak PM Nawaz Sharif on his birthday. While this move was severely criticised by people at home, who insisted that PM Modi had cowed in, it was like icing on top of India's spotless image that projected her willingness to cooperate even in the most dire circumstances. Internationally, this move was widely welcomed by the United Nations and other leaders.

While the rift between Indo-Pak relations seemed to be healing slowly, Pak PM's efforts to jeopardise India's bid to the Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG) by writing to the world leaders personally not only projected the nation in bad light but also raised questions on its willingness to establish peace in the Kashmir valley.

Following this, Nawaz Sharif's 'deep shock' and protest over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in Srinagar raised several eye-brows, questioning his stand on eliminating terrorism from the Pak soil.

Yet another give-away on Pak's intentions of resolving the Kashmir issue was Nawaz Sharif's statement at a political rally in Azad Kashmir, in which he said that he was 'waiting for the day when Kashmir would become a part of Pakistan'. His statement invited wrath both from wit‌hin and across the land, wherein, on one hand India fired back lodging its retaliation on Sharif's lucid dreams, while on other hand Pak media called him 'delusional' for having such wishes.

Soon afterwards, atrocities being committed in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) by the Pak army came out, which further strengthened India's case against Pakistan.

While Pak, in a move to defend whatever dignity it was left with, started the talking about how India was murdering human rights in Kashmir obsessively, it's constant bickering about the Kashmir issue, seemed like the curious case from one of the classic tales 'the boy who screamed lion'.

Following this, India threatened to scrap the Indus water treaty, to which Pak replied by threatening to use the nukes should the two countries go to war. A move that was widely criticised by the global community and earned Pak 2 negative points

Going for a diplomatic offensive, India announced that it would boycott the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November this year. Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka followed India's lead.

Going for an offensive strike, India authorised its Army commandos to destroy terrorist hideouts across the Line of Control in Kashmir. The operation went flawlessly as the jawans gunned down nearly 45 terrorists in the process.

Here's the fun part. While Indian Army was giving a press briefing about the operation, Pakistan denied all reports of a surgical strike in the region. It took 'clueless Pakistan' a day to get in touch with the reality and accept that the strike on the terrorists had indeed happened. If that wasn't enough, Pak media flew to the region where strikes were conducted, just to prove India wrong (love their sense of humour)!

Though Pak took it as an act of war, the world appreciated the move, winning India two brownie points. As India's case against Pakistan strengthened, South Korea and Maldives too extended their support to India.

In the meantime, people flooded the White House with petitions to declare Pak a terrorist state. A similar thing happened in United Kingdom too.

All these events combined with the Uri attack provided India the perfect ingredients required for defeating Pakistan in its own game.

It is interesting to note how India has never lodged a direct attack against Pakistan even while putting forward its case against terrorism.

India's visionary diplomacy combined with Pak's lucid ranting has paved way for India to corner the country in its own game.

My view: Pak should take the clue and stop this soap opera now. Endless lives have been lost on both the sides. Countless mothers have lost their sons, children their fathers, wives their husbands and sisters their brothers. Pakistan should let go off this madness now. It is time that the world unites to work towards a better future instead of crying over the spilt milk.

Kashmir Confusion: now and then

Kashmir has been penned down in the pages of history as one the most disputed territories. This dispute is decades old and dates back to the year 1947 when the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir signed an agreement with both India and Pakistan to remain neutral and independent.

India honored that agreement but Pakistan did not. Pakistani raiders and soldiers attacked the state in 1947 forcing the Maharaja to flee to India. The Maharaja asked India to help his people who were being killed and looted by the Pakistani raiders. He also agreed to make Jammu & Kashmir a part of India.

India accepted Kashmir’s annexation and Indian troops were immediately flown to the valley. They were able to rescue a large part of the Kashmiri territory but Pakistan too managed to retain control of a large part of the state, which is now known as the ‘Pakistan occupied Kashmir’.

Not wanting to drag the issue further, India went to the UN with this issue. India said that Pakistan had attacked a neutral State and that State had now become part of India. Therefore, Pakistan should withdraw its soldiers from the State. The United Nations agreed with the Indian demand and asked Pakistan to withdraw its forces from Jammu & Kashmir and called for a plebiscite. But because Pakistan never agreed, plebiscite could never be held and Kashmir was declared a ‘disputed territory’.

Several wars and failed bilateral negotiations later, an important question started doing the rounds of the table. ‘Why doesn’t India simply give up Kashmir to Pakistan and put and end to this ongoing war for ever?’

The answer had more underlying layers to it, than one could have ever imagined not only from the legal point of view but also from the strategic point of view. Firstly, the mountains in Kashmir provide a natural barrier to India. With its natural barrier gone, Pakistani army has an easy run into the Indian Territory.

Secondly comes the issue of the control of the Indus River. The headwaters of the Indus River are located in Kashmir. Whoever controls the headwaters, controls the river. Neither of the states wants to give up on that.

Next, Kashmir, rightly known as the ‘Paradise of Earth’, minus the terrorism, has great potential for tourism. Also, the issue has become a matter of political importance for both the states.

Many attempts have been made so far but none has ever been even close to successful.

When questioned about an option to stay or leave India, most people from the Kashmiri community believe that they would rather stay with India or have their own independent state but not join Pakistan. According to a survey that appeared in Times of India, only 2% people living in J&K want to join Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans of re-establishing Kashmiri Pandits back in Kashmir have received some stark reactions.

Some believe there is no undoing to what has been done while some believe that a separate area should be allocated. There are voices that still hope for the co-existence of the two communities, on the other hand there are others who believe that community has out grown what was done to it, and there is only moving forward from here.

68 years of struggle with still no viable solution visible.

Is the paradise lost or is there more to it?