Salahuddin Haider
That after 50 years, United Nations Security Council session on Kashmir last week was a huge success for Pakistan, the result for which has begun to be visible. First, the very session on Kashmir, brought instant dividend. Nirender Modi’s Hindutva policy, pursued since his re-election last year, not only was jolted, but forced New Delhi to invite Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in India coming November.
This is no mean development. In fact, it is a triumph for principle, justice and fairplay, forming the foundation stone of Imran Khan’s foreign policy. Eveer since August 5 when India, in its absurdity, and hegemonic designs, ended special status of Occupied Kashmir, ending Article 370 of the Union Constitution, and ignored all protestations from Pakistan.
Luckily now, slow but steadily, world conscience has begun to wake up, taking a long time now, but Pakistan’s persistent efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issues, finally paid dividend, and although a Pakistani request for summoning the Security Council meeting of the sensitive subject, went unheeded, China, a dependable friend of Pakistan, picked up the thread, wrote to world body”s secretary general for a meeting on Kashmir, where human rights are still being trampled with least consideration for human conscience, too was ignored.
Ignoring China, the world knew would be catastrophic. Bejing’s second letter did work, and the 15-member Security Council had to be summoned. Its meeting, though behind closed doors, nevertheless was attended by 5 permanent members, USA, UK, France, China, and Russia. Stories filtering out of that moot, most important for Kashmir was back on the agenda of the UN after 50 long year, did reveal that United States, Russia and UK, also could not resist from speaking for the rights of the suppressed Kashmiris people, in lock down for over five months.
Obviously the message was conveyed to India that it had to change its policy, atleast review it, and give up obduracy on a sensitive subject, and sooner the better, for with passage of time, its image as world’s largest democracy, would syand humiliated, and its image as the world’s second largest country would be in danger of losing importance.
China’s role was tremendous. It went on record during the session to force UN to put Kashmir on its agenda. Laspe of 50- years is a too long to be counted, but human endeavours, can never be checked or ignored.. That what exactlt happened, and India which had refused to listen to Donald Trump even on resuming dialogue with Pakistan, atleast in sheer embarrassment, extended invitation to Pskistan to attend SCO meeting. This was a massive victory for Pakistan and the policy pursued by prime minister Imran Khan.
Kashmir seems to be regaining its importance. It had to, for ignoring it completely, would haave beeb folly. India’s lock down, of occupied Kashmir, denying basic facilities to its 8 million population, was in flagrant violation of world human rights charter. How long, could the world, calling itself civilized, West in particular, could sit on a subject of such vehemence for very long. If Algeria could win liberation from France after long and heroic war, and if Allied forces could land and suffer casualties while landing at Normandy to liberate France from Nazi’s forcible occupation, how could Kashmir continue to suffer from slavery. It has to begiven its birthright of being normal human beings, which seems nearing its goal now.
