Malik Ashraf
FEDERAL Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari addressing a function in Islamabad the other day took a swipe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by holding it responsible for the indifference shown by the world community to the situation in India-occupied Kashmir because it failed to carry forward the narrative of the Prime Minister on the issue. She further said that had the Foreign Ministry and our diplomats done that, the situation would have been different. As if these disparaging remarks were not enough, she also added insult to the injury by saying” Our diplomats chose leisurely hotel stays, dressing in three-piece suits and heavily starched clothes and speaking over the telephone,”
One is amazed at her naivety and audacity to throw the blame on the Foreign Ministry and the diplomats. True that the Prime Minister has been advocating the cause of Kashmir, the human rights situation in the valley after the 5th of August and the consequent threats posed to peace and security of the region, mostly vociferously. But the fact is that our diplomats also made relentless efforts to propagate the narrative of the Prime Minister. Would that Dr. Shireen Mazari had kept track of the efforts that our Mission in USA and Permanent Representative at the UN have been making for mobilizing support to nullify the Indian narrative on the issue. We have been reading every other day reports in the media about our permanent ambassador interacting with the representatives of the diplomatic corps and UN officials to give them a perspective on the situation in Kashmir. I also wish that she could have read a recent article in the media by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi in which she recounted the frantic efforts she and her mission made to convince the members of the Security Council to discuss the Kashmir issue after the lapse of 55 years.
What she said is very regrettable. How can Foreign Ministry and our diplomats afford to show slackness on the Kashmir issue? The Prime Minister made a historic speech at the UN on the issue unravelling the contours of the Kashmir issue, the inhuman treatment being meted out to the people of IO&JK, warning the world about the risks involved and making a passionate appeal to it for stopping India in her tracks. He has been keeping it up at all the international forums. But the world remains oblivious to the situation in IO&JK and has not gone beyond showing muffled concern; a fact also repeatedly lamented by the Prime Minister himself. Would Dr. Shireen be bold enough to also blame the Prime Minister for not being able to win world support and nudging it into action for the solution of the Kashmir dispute?
To be honest neither the Prime Minister nor the Foreign Office can be blamed for the indifference shown by the world community in having the Kashmir issue resolved. Success in the management of world affairs and wielding a clout in that regard is not only a function of quality of diplomacy and the dedication of the diplomats. It is to a great extent related to the worth of the nation in the world community as well as the global political environment. Further the issues of global nature are not settled on the basis of principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the UN resolutions. The big powers and their allies look at those issues through the prism of their own and self-defined strategic interests. The case of Palestine and Kashmir are classis examples. They also have great clout in the UN and their veto powers also have had a debilitating impact in regards to resolving festering disputes. They will support you only when their interests are served by doing so.
It is a hypocritical world. The US and its western allies reacted angrily over the promulgation of National Security Bill for Hong Kong by China in May 2020 which they said was a threat to fundamental political freedoms and civil liberties. They supported the movement against the bill and prompted the international community to re-evaluate their policies towards Hong Kong which they deemed was no longer autonomous. They are also showing grave concern about the situation in Belarus in the aftermath of the allegedly rigged elections and condemning crackdown on the protesters saying it was a threat to the democratic values and basic human rights. Is it not mind-boggling to see that they do not feel concerned and motivated to act against extra-judicial killings in IO&JK and the humanitarian crisis unfurling in the valley after 5th of August? Why are they not bothered about more than one hundred thousand lives which have been lost during the freedom struggle since 1989, gang rapes of thousands of women and the existence of mass-graves? It is not that they are not aware of it. But the fact is that they are not prepared to annoy their strategic partner India which is not only a lucrative market for them but also their strategic partner and an important player in pursuing forward their ‘Contain China’ policy.
A person of the calibre of Dr Shireen Mazari should have been able to understand the dynamics of the international politics and avoided the indiscretion of shooting unwanted arrows at the Foreign Ministry and the diplomats. The fact is that no matter how hard you try it is not going to make any material change in the situation in IO&JK and the resolution of the Kashmir dispute unless some unusual development occurs at the global level which changes the dynamics of the global politics. She perhaps owes an apology to the ministry of foreign affairs and our diplomats whose dedication and commitment to the cause of Kashmir and other issues of global concerns is beyond reproach.
— The writer is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
