On January 31, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi telephoned the leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, to which India objected. So much so that the Indian leadership immediately registered a protest with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
The matters discussed between Qureshi and Mirwaiz most likely related to the recent unrest in Kashmir, with the Hurriyat being an organisation that seeks to bring parties together for the shared separatist cause of becoming an independent territory, which India vehemently opposes. However, the rising global opposition to India’s stubbornness and aggression in Kashmir should be noticed by India.
In a meek attempt to garner support, India then sought to cancel a UK event by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan (APPG) to bring awareness to the Kashmir issue and the rights of Kashmiris that have been impinged upon.
We praise the British government for rejecting the call; it is against good governance to interject when citizens assemble peacefully for a legitimate purpose, especially when it is merely to shed light on an issue that has lingered without attracting much global attention in the past. India’s beef with the event most likely has to do with Foreign Minister Qureshi’s expected attendance.
Given Britain’s strained history with Pakistan and India with its own rights violations in the past, the event should be allowed to continue regardless of other factors and British MPs are lauded for their membership of the APPG-Pakistan.
Right-wing groups in India have clearly drawn the line on where they stand with Pakistan and the Kashmiris’ struggle. India, however, needs to acknowledge that Pakistan has sacrificed the most collateral in its multiple wars against terrorism and extremism. Instead of promoting anti-Indian sentiments, Pakistan wants peace for Kashmiris.
While the PTI government might not have much experience in foreign relations on the political front, we do have greater faith than before that it is handling at least certain matters judiciously.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2019.
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