With elections in India underway, Pakistan has come up in the picture despite its non-entity. Rajnath Singh said at a press conference, “I don’t think India needs to do anything. Seeing how the region has achieved economic development and peace has returned, we are hearing from the Korean people that we should merge with India.” I think there will be demands,” he was referring to economic development in the region. Last week, there were rallies in POK about rising inflation, severe unemployment, cancellation of flour subsidies, and unfair load shedding.
Pakistan’s military used brutal force to quell growing anger against Islamabad. The Indian flag is regularly hoisted at POK protests, a complete reversal from earlier days when the Pakistani flag was flown in Kashmir. In an interview, Amit Shah said, “Muslims and Hindus living in POK are also Indians, and this land also belongs to India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan.” It is the goal of every Indian and every Kashmiri to get it back. ” PM Shah has repeatedly blamed Jawaharlal Nehru for the blunders that led to the split between Mr. J and Mr. K. The Prime Minister has regularly highlighted flaws in the earlier Congress government’s approach to terrorist attacks originating in Pakistan.
In contrast, he highlights Balakote and predicts changes in government policy, including launching airstrikes and ground attacks on Pakistan. In his recent speech, Prime Minister Modi said, “During the Congress government, it was in the headlines that India had submitted another document to Pakistan regarding terrorist activities,” adding, “Now, India has not sent any documents. No,” he added. “Aaj Bharat ghar mein gas ke marta hai.” This comment prompted multiple global media outlets and the Pakistani government to claim that it was an admission that India was involved in the killing of anti-India terrorists on Pakistani territory. did. According to reports, more than 20 terrorists have died in mysterious circumstances in the past few years.
Pakistan’s military media adviser Maj. Gen. Ahmed Chaudhary told a press conference that “India has been involved in the killing of individuals in Pakistan since the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in another country,” and Islamabad was shocked. He added that it was a big deal. There is irrefutable evidence. “(India) is involved in extrajudicial killings of Pakistani nationals on Pakistani territory,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said. Both comments were trolled by India. In reality, Indian leaders were emphasizing the Balakot strike, which gave them a huge advantage in the 2019 elections. Comments from Pakistan regarding India’s involvement in assassinations of anti-India terrorists inside Pakistan will provide a boost to the BJP’s campaign.
Just mentioning POK and repeating that it will be merged with India immediately creates discomfort within Islamabad. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also joined the fray over POK. Interacting with students at a university in Delhi, he said, “Every political party in this country is committed to the return of POK, which is a part of India, to India.” This is our national commitment. ” He added that the recapture of POK came to the forefront only after the abrogation of Article 370. Pakistan’s spokesperson refuted the Indian campaign’s comments on POK, saying, “We are witnessing an alarming surge in provocative statements by Indian leaders alleging unwarranted allegations against Mr. J and Mr. K.” .Pakistan has refused.” these claims.
This inflammatory rhetoric, fueled by excessive nationalism, poses a serious threat to peace and sensibility in the region. ” But the name Pakistan continues unabated. For Islamabad, the abrogation of Article 370 was a bolt out of the blue. They had no idea how to react. Their decision to suspend trade and withdraw the High Commissioner was also hastily determined to be a major strategic failure. Restoring relations would require both countries to reverse their actions, which could be political suicide for any government. Their demand for India to reinstate Article 370 is laughable. Relations will remain stalled until political stability is restored in Pakistan, which is unlikely to happen in the near future as battle lines are drawn between Imran Khan and his army Dew.
Terrorism in Kashmir has calmed down now, but it will continue. Pakistan fears that if the Balakot incident is repeated, terrorist acts will no longer be tolerated by India. Talks are impossible due to a diplomatic freeze. However, politicians like Farooq Abdullah and Mani Shankar Aiyar continue to pursue dialogue. “There is no other way (to stop terrorism) than to talk to Pakistan,” Farooq said at a political rally. Supporting him was Omar Abdullah, who said, “NC has always supported the dialogue process (with Pakistan).” Refuting Rajnath Singh’s claim that Pakistan would merge with India, Farooq said, “They (Pakistan) are not wearing bangles either.” There is an atomic bomb on board, and unfortunately that atomic bomb will fall on us. ”
Mani Shankar Aiyar added, “India has to enter into dialogue with Pakistan because Pakistan has an atomic bomb.” Pakistan’s nuclear bogey was recorded in the Kargil match in 1999 and also in the Balakot attack in 2019. PM Modi responded, “Yeh mare pade log, desh ke man ko bhi maar rahe hain.” Pakistan’s name is also being misused in Punjab. Former Punjab CM Charanjit Channi has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating the recent terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force convoy that left one member dead. It was the beginning of a new political debate. Finally, former Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhary is adding humor to India’s election campaign. His tweets supporting Rahul Gandhi brought laughter to a lackluster campaign. Fawad was excited to be in the spotlight for a few minutes.
The fact is that negotiations with Islamabad have failed to stop terrorism. It just made Pakistan believe that it was negotiating from a position of strength. The situation is improving due to the growth of the Indian economy, the changing mindset of Kashmiris, and the consequent reduction in support for terrorism. Although India outperformed Pakistan, it heavily criticized Pakistan in the election. The Kashmir dispute, mentioned in the joint statement issued after the visit of senior officials to New Delhi, has never been resolved. Pakistan is in a tight spot and takes advantage of it. Emphasizing the reality in an interview with a TV channel, Prime Minister Modi said, “I have been keying in for the last 10 years on Pakistan being a part of how India is run. There is no need to waste time. We are far ahead.” In the end, no matter what, Pakistan will play the role of a subdued villain in India’s elections.
(The author is a retired major general in the Indian Army.)
