Malik M Ashraf
Pakistan is a party to the Kashmir dispute which is an unfinished agenda of the partition. Reportedly a dossier has been handed over the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) containing evidence of Indian violations of LoC and urged to take necessary action in this regard. The question is will UNMOGIP be able to play any role in bringing an end to the continued Indian aggression along LoC when India no more recognizes its assigned role and in recent past asked it to wind up its mission in India? The answer regrettably is no. The reality is that the UN and the big powers are actually encouraging India to do what it is doing in Kashmir and along the LoC. The UN has failed to fulfill its responsibility to solve the Kashmir dispute in conformity with its own resolutions that promised to resolve the question of accession of the state through a plebiscite held under the auspices of the UN. Now it does not go beyond the rhetoric of urging the two countries to settle their disputes through bilateral dialogue, notwithstanding the fact that India has invariably spurned effort by Pakistan to start a dialogue on one pretext or other and there is no hope for it producing any positive outcome in near future.The UN resolutions on a particular subject invariably take precedence over the bilateral agreements on the same subject if the bilateral arrangement fails to deliver. The Simla agreement which also recognized the need for resolution of the Kashmir dispute though dialogue, has ostensibly failed to make any headway and consequently the people of Kashmir are suffering at the hands of the Indian security forces who are trying to subdue their struggle for freedom by all means and blatant violations of the human rights, while the champions of the human rights and human liberties remain criminally oblivious to their predicament. UN is also not pushed about protecting the rights of the people of Kashmir. The US and other big powers which are allies of the former are clearly tilted towards India, to promote their strategic and commercial interests, rather than throwing their weight behind the human causes and condemning the Indian atrocities against the people of Kashmir. They are equally indifferent to the Indian involvement in acts of terrorism in Pakistan and instead keep putting pressure on her to take action against terrorist outfits that are using its soil for acts of terrorism in the neighbouring countries.US is completely silent on Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan about which evidence has also been provided to her besides UN. Pakistan is currently engaged in indiscriminate action against all terrorist groups under the operation Zarb-e-Azb which has been a great success. It has almost broken the back of the terrorist networks which were located on the Pakistani soil before this operation. The UN and the US by remaining indifferent to the permeating situation in Kashmir and the Indian indiscretion along the LOC are actually abetting the Indian crimes and imperiling peace and security in the region. The US in particular, fails to realize that the continuation of the Indian aggression could lead to a war between two nuclear powers with disastrous consequences for whole regional as well as world peace. Such an eventuality would not only harm two countries and scuttle the regional peace but would also undermine strategic interests of US but also its allies who are feverishly engaged in precipitating the alarming situation in the region by turning a blind eye to obtaining situation. India also needs to realize that through such tactics and antics it cannot brow beat Pakistan which has shown utmost restraint so far. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rightly said that the restraint by Pakistan should not be taken as a weakness. He also urged the UN to take notice of the ceasefire violations and unwarranted escalation of tension and the LoC. Pakistan forces are fully capable of repulsing Indian aggression as is evident from downing of an Indian drone and thwarting the attempt of Indian nuclear submarine to penetrate into Pakistani waters. Pakistan does not want war with India and rightly so, but it would not be found wanting if a war was imposed on her.
The COAS General Raheel has made it clear that Pakistani forces were ready for a conventional war.