Controversial remarks made by Mani Shankar Aiyar, veteran leader of the opposition Indian National Congress (INC), in old video footage have recently resurfaced and drawn attention as India’s elections enter the final two phases. are collecting.
In the video, Aiyar described Pakistanis as “India’s greatest asset” and recommended that India should resume dialogue with Pakistan.
His views were echoed by Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan involved in Indian elections
The re-emergence of the video gives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an opportunity to corner the Congress party and give a “soft” impression on Pakistan during the election season. Ta.
“If Pakistanis are not wearing bangles, we will make them wear them,” Prime Minister Modi said at a rally in Bihar last week. “They don’t have flour, they don’t have electricity. Now we know they don’t even have bangles.”
Prime Minister Modi said the government’s approach to counter-terrorism has changed significantly compared to when the Congress was in power.
“During the Congress government, it was in the headlines that India had handed over different documents related to terror activities to Pakistan,” Modi said at an election rally in Latur constituency in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
“Right now, India has not sent any documents. Today, India is killing terrorists on its own territory,” Modi added.
Anti-Pakistan sentiment has not so far intensified during the election campaign, but India’s neighbour and rival has now become the perfect punching bag.
Over the past two weeks, political parties have exchanged sharp accusations regarding Pakistan, given that foreign policy issues have not been raised as a serious issue.
“that [Pakistan] “It remains an emotional issue for India, as years of suffering from cross-border terrorism and Pakistan-backed militancy in Kashmir, including the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and the 2019 Pulwama attack on militant groups, have left indelible scars on the Indian psyche,” Shazia Ilmi, spokesperson for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, told DW.
“The statements made by Mani Shankar Iyer and Farooq Abdullah are controversial and condemnable,” Ilmi added.
national security debate
Mr. Modi won a second consecutive term in power in the 2019 general election, with the BJP’s campaign focusing on Pakistan, which was a key electoral issue at the time.
Months before the 2019 vote, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy carrying Indian paramilitary forces in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 46 soldiers.
India retaliated by launching fighter jets into Balakot, deep in Pakistani territory, and claimed to have killed militants who were planning to attack targets inside India.
Ajay Visaria, former high commissioner to Pakistan and India, told DW that the current election debate is more about Pakistan’s stance on national security than its policies.
“In 2019, we saw a strong national security-based campaign by the Bharatiya Janata Party after India’s Pulwama attack and Balakot airstrikes,” Visalia said.
“We do not see any comparable national security issues this time, except that the ruling party is rightly claiming credit for both Kashmir and Pakistan policies,” the former envoy added.
Political rants
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution grants the state of Jammu and Kashmir its own constitution and some degree of internal autonomy. However, the Indian government revoked this status in 2019 and divided the state into two union territories, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh, which have been ruled directly from New Delhi.
“The Balakot air strikes and the Article 370 move will be revisited five years later, making a reasonable argument that Balakot has established a credible deterrent against terrorism and that the abrogation of Article 370 has put Jammu and Kashmir on a peaceful trajectory. will be done,” Visalia said.
At a recent election rally, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Amit Shah, India’s Home Minister, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath joined forces to ensure that the re-elected Bharatiya Janata Party government will take control of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. He stressed that he would take additional measures to “recover the situation.”
Their statement came in response to violent protests recently witnessed in some parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir over rising food and energy costs amid a severe economic crisis.
“Congress leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar are saying that we should not do it as we have the bomb,” Shah said, referring to the protests. “But let me say that ‘Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)’ is a part of India and we will occupy it.”
“Obviously, retaking PoK is not an immediate issue, but any unrest in the region will provide impetus to reiterate known positions and highlight the power differential between the two countries,” Bisaria added.
Obsession with Pakistan and elections?
C. Raja Mohan, a senior strategic expert at the Asian Social Policy Institute, said Prime Minister Modi had succeeded in changing the terms of engagement with Pakistan.
“It is unfortunate that Prime Minister Modi responded to his harsh criticism of Pakistan by pointing to the current economic crisis,” Raja Mohan told DW.
“Throughout the campaign, the prime minister and his ministers demonstrated a renewed willingness to enter Pakistan and target terrorists.”
“The unnecessary verbal attack on Pakistan comes at a time when the new Pakistan government, led by brothers Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, is sending out interesting signals about improving ties with India,” Mohan added.
But Mohan said PM Modi and his right-wing BJP hope that their Pakistani negotiators will understand that their bombastic rhetoric is part of an election campaign and does not reflect any policy intentions. I was quick to point out that I might be expecting something.
Reacting to various statements by Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that these statements reflect an unhealthy and deep-seated obsession with Pakistan and exploit ultra-nationalism for electoral gains. He stated that he had made clear his deliberate intention to do so.
“These are also desperate attempts to deflect attention from mounting domestic and international criticism,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Balosh said at a weekly press conference when asked about the pre-election statements.
Editor: Keith Walker
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