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Pakistan’s ‘one-trick pony’ act on Kashmir doesn’t resonate at UN, says India

Hindustan Times, Washington/Islamabad | ByYashwant Raj and Imtiaz Ahmad
Sep 24, 2018 11:21 PM IST

Pakistan has been raising Kashmir at the UN but no other country has joined it in making it an issue or even talking about it.

India will be ready for Pakistan’s “one-trick pony” act at the UN – raising the bogey of Kashmir – as it seeks to call attention to pressing issues of global significance such as enhanced multilateralism and action on climate change.

Reeling from the Indian decision to call off a New York meeting of the foreign ministers of the two sides, Pakistan is expected to complain bitterly at the UN and raise Kashmir forcefully, as well as at several multilateral forums and meetings held on the sidelines.

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India considers the UN a multilateral forum for deliberating multilateral issues, and not bilateral problems. “Single-act plays (as enacted by Pakistan) have no resonance” in these forums, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, told reporters on Sunday, effectively firing the first shot in a battle that has become the chief UN General Assembly attraction for South Asia. If “somebody else would like to be a one-trick pony, it is for them to regurgitate and act,” he said, in a reference to past attempts by Pakistan to lobby the world body on Kashmir.

Akbaruddin was responding to a question about Pakistan’s reported plans to raise Kashmir at the UN more forcefully than before against the backdrop of the cancelled meeting of foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Pakistani officials in Islamabad said the highlight of Qureshi’s visit will be his speech at the General Assembly on September 29, during which he will speak on the new government’s priorities and its position on key global and regional issues, including Kashmir, particularly in the aftermath of the UN Human Rights Council’s report on rights violations.

India has described the report as a compilation of “largely unverified information” and said it violates the country’s sovereignty and integrity.

Qureshi is expected to urge UN members to take notice of protests in Kashmir and the Pakistani media reported that his delegation will make the case that India is preventing the resumption of dialogue. The Pakistani delegation will also highlight what it calls “Indian interference” in the country.

Pakistan will also circulate materials on the situation in Kashmir and diplomats said a photo exhibition on the activities of Indian security forces against Kashmiris will be inaugurated by Qureshi in New York.

The other key challenge, according to Pakistani officials, is US President Donald Trump’s lack of interest in the UN and his proposed cuts in funding for the world body that will make it impossible for the organisation to continue with its essential operations. Trump has also cracked down on Pakistan for failing to do enough to counter terrorism by suspending security-related aid worth nearly $2 billion.

The meeting of the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers was announced at the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan but New Delhi called it off, angrily blaming Khan’s “evil” agenda of promoting terrorism and talks at the same time.

Asked about Khan’s equally sharp reaction – “small men who occupy big offices” – Akbaruddin said he and his office deal with multilateral issues and bilateral ties will be addressed bilaterally.

Though India is prepared for the Pakistani delegation’s approach, Swaraj and her team will be under pressure to find a way to set a positive tone in keeping with the lofty ideals of multilateralism espoused by them and also anticipate the vitriol that will follow in Qureshi’s speech. Swaraj is set to speak before her Pakistani counterpart.

It was easier last year and the year before. Swaraj, representing India, spoke after former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and returned the fire. India has marched ahead and created IITs, IIMs and AIIMS and “produced scholars, doctors, engineers and scientists”, Swaraj said in 2017.

“What have you produced? You have produced terrorists and terrorist camps.” She went on to name a few of the groups – Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Haqqani Network. “Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?”

In 2016, Swaraj addressed a situation somewhat similar to the one confronting her and her advisers now – the charge from Sharif that India was ignoring a peace offer. “We have in fact attempted a paradigm of friendship in the last two years which is without precedent,” she had said.

Swaraj has the chance to change the narrative this year. If Pakistan misses the cue, India has the right-to-reply rule of General Assembly debates, which allow countries singled out in an attack to defend themselves, which it has done effectively in the past.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington on Sunday, Qureshi said Islamabad will “not close our doors” to peace efforts despite New Delhi’s reluctance to engage.

“Hiding away from issues will not make them disappear. It will not improve the situation in Kashmir,” he said. He charged India with using incidents in July and decisions from before the Imran Khan government took office to cancel the planned meeting.

India called off the meeting citing killings by terrorists and Pakistan issuing postal stamps honouring terrorist Burhan Wani.

Qureshi also charged India with using undiplomatic language in the statement about calling off the meeting. “We did not use non-diplomatic language in our rejoinder. Our response was mature and measured. They adopted a new approach, and moved back,” he said.

He said he found India’s position confusing. “Engagement, no-engagement. Coming, not coming. We desired talks as we believe the sensible way is to meet and talk. They agreed, and then disagreed,” he added.

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