ISLAMABAD – British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond hurled a shocker at Islamabad as he promoted India’s policy of just about deleting Kashmir from the Pakistan-India dialogue agenda.
Hammond, who was in Islamabad for a series of meetings with the civil and military leadership, threw a hint at Pakistan that sticking with Kashmir will not take the talks process further.
His remarks that Kashmir should not be a precondition to the Pak-India dialogue disappointed many – most importantly Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The Foreign Secretary also asked Pakistan to ‘speed up’ investigations into the Pathankot attack – again playing for India.
His statement was a snub to Islamabad as Pakistan believes no dialogue can be complete without the mention of Kashmir and that the Pathankot investigations were being carried at unprecedented pace.
Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has been saying Pakistan wished to have a third party mediation on Kashmir, but it was unlikely to happen unless by international pressure
As India is not even ready to accept the logical demand of including Kashmiris in the talks process, officials involved in overt and covert contacts with India suggest there has been no development which could hint at resolution of the dispute.
For decades Pakistani and Kashmiris have been raising the Kashmir issue in the United Kingdom – looking for the help of former masters. It is also a fact that India’s lobby in Europe and the United States has never allowed these countries to speak openly in favour of Pakistan, especially on Kashmir and terrorism.
A few weeks earlier, Prime Minister Sharif said peace could only be guaranteed in South Asia through resolution of Kashmir issue.
“We are committed to a peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute based on United Nationz resolutions. We can’t forget our Kashmiri brethrens,” the PM had said.
Officials close to the premier said Sharif was disappointed with Hammond’s statement but not official complaint would be made to London.
“The PM believes in talks but as he has said a number of times, Kashmir cannot be put off the table. Nawaz Sharif would have appreciated a neutral statement from the visiting foreign secretary. His words looked in favour of India,” said the senior government official.
He said that peace in South Asia could only be guaranteed with the solution of the Kashmir issue and any progress without touching the core dispute, would just be a bubble.
Another official said the Prime Minister had asked his diplomatic corps to speed up efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue in the United Kingdom and other influential countries.
“He feels the Pakistani side has not been able to convince the westerners as much as India which promoted Hammond to speak in favour of New Delhi,” he added.
Defence analyst Air Marshal Shahid Latif (retd) said dialogue has never been a priority of the Indian leadership. “They are trying to hoodwink the entire world by making statements about constructive engagements with Pakistan,” he said.
He maintained India had projected Pakistan as a rogue state and regional spoiler in front of the international community. “These are vague and ungrounded perceptions but sometimes perceptions are more dangerous than realities. In fact, the reality is all the way opposite. India has persistently behaved as spoiler in the region with the ambitions of regional dominance. Pakistan must come up with counter strategies through diplomatic activism,” Latif said.
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Senator Abdul Qayyum said peace was equally important for both Pakistan and India, so both should sincerely work for it.
“We definitely want talks but the recent statement from Indian defence minister that the Pathankot incident was an attack on India’s defence installation is not helpful,” he said.
Senator Qayum, a former Lt. General, said Pakistan cannot ignore Kashmir issue in the dialogue with India.
Defence analyst Dr Mohammed Khan said India continues to misguide the international community against Pakistan but its ministers were issuing statements like the late Bal Thakery.
“Pakistan always tries to maintain peace in the region by resolving all disputes with India on negotiation table, whereas India never replies in the same tune,” he remarked.
Khan said it was a routine that India levels false allegations against Pakistan. “The world should also tell India to change its behaviour. Ignoring Kashmir issue will be against our policy,” the analyst said.
http://nation.com.pk/national/09-Mar-2016/hammond-s-remarks-shocking-for-islamabad
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