Pakistan hasn’t given up the dream of inflicting a thousand cuts on India and separating Kashmir from India.
There have been elections in Pakistan and some civilian leaders have served as Prime Minister. But they were shown the door when they tried to assert themselves against the military; army generals have been calling the shots and running the country most of the time. Over the years, they have established a well-entrenched industrial and business empire whose survival and expansion depend on the army controlling all the reins of power.
To retain and continue their hold on power, persistent projection of India as Pakistan’s enemy No.1 is undertaken by the army; it also comes handy to whip up anti-India sentiments and mobilise support for the armed forces. Decisions regarding defence, security and foreign relations with India rest with the army irrespective who happens to be the Prime Minister.
In spite of having fought and lost four wars with India since 1947 including the most humiliating surrender of 94,000 of its soldiers in Dhaka in 1971, Pakistani army hasn’t given up the dream of inflicting a thousand cuts on India and separating Kashmir from India. Exporting terror to India has become a part of the state policy of Pakistan. Recruiting, training, arming and supporting Khalistani and Kashmiri separatists for years, carrying out terrorist attacks in many places in JandK as well as the Indian Parliament and Mumbai have been part of their tool kit to try to bleed India white and instigate communal tension in India and provoke retaliation.
The attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam after ascertaining their religion on 22 April was methodically planned when the US Vice President was visiting India, PM Modi was in Saudi Arabia and thousands of tourists were flocking Kashmir following the conclusion of the elections and return of peace and normalcy in the valley after many years. Apparently, it was meant to serve three objectives: message to the rest of India and the world that things weren’t hunky dory in JandK notwithstanding claims of normalcy and disrupt resumption of much needed tourism; generate anger and distrust between Hindus and Muslims and provoke India to retaliate, thus distracting international attention from serious domestic economic crises.
Fortunately, though shocked and outraged, people of the valley and the rest of India aren’t taking this bait; there is no Hindu-Muslim tension after the Pahalgam carnage. There hasn’t been any kneejerk reaction; Indian government has announced four measured diplomatic steps: suspension of Indus water treaty, closure of Attari border check post, no visas to Pakistani nationals and expulsion of Pakistani defence advisers and reduction in the size of the high commission. Pakistan has reciprocated with similar measures.
Going by PM Modi’s strong declaration from a rally in Bihar that the perpetrators of the heinous crime will be identified and punished along with their backers and those who hatched the conspiracy and terrorist infrastructure will be destroyed, India’s action against Pakistan, after weighing possible Pakistani counter attack, mood of the political parties and the people at large and possible global reaction, could be overwhelming, inflicting massive damage to Pakistani terrorist nerve centres and training camps. The Cabinet Committee on Security, all political parties and the country as a whole stand united with the government to teach the perpetrators of this heinous crime a lesson that they won’t attempt it in future. Evidently, the PM and the top brass of the armed forces will take well thought out action, which will serve India’s national interest best.
An open and wider conflict isn’t in anyone’s interest; though all the P-5 countries have unequivocally and immediately condemned the terrorist attack, some like China and USA might waver given their interest in Pakistan. Most of the Muslim countries including the Gulf states that PM Modi has assiduously cultivated, might give a response they gave to the special envoys of PM Indira Gandhi in 1971: we can’t take sides between a close friend India and a brother, Pakistan. We shouldn’t push them to that corner.
But we can put forward the facts persuasively. In spite of our differences on certain issues, both the US and China see clear benefits of increasing economic engagement with India and collaborating with her to address numerous global commons rather than openly siding with an epicentre of international terrorism and a virtual failed state. And the Gulf States including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman where 10 million Indians toil tirelessly to help their economies see huge prospects of investment in India, expand bilateral economic cooperation and benefits which will accrue to them when IMEEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) becomes operational.
In carrying out pinpointed, deadly strikes we can borrow a leaf or two from the book of our Israeli friends who killed senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was Tehran, and the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsin Fakhrizadeh through a computerised machine gun. Israel also successfully eliminated top Hezballah leaders when they were holding meetings in their hideouts in Beirut. So, destroying terrorists HQs and their leaders without causing civilian casualties should be our aim.
The current Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, who made a combustible speech on 16 April, harking back to the partition and the two-nation theory, can’t be absolved of the responsibility of provoking/tacitly supporting the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. He should revisit the life story of Gen Ayub Khan and Gen Musharraf who engaged in discussions with India after their losses.
Two-nation theory or no theory, you are a sovereign, independent state. You are different, so be it; we have never imposed our customs and traditions on you. And we aren’t your enemy. After his historic bus trip to Lahore (1999) PM Vajpayee wrote in visitors’ book at Minar e Pakistan: let no Pakistani have the slightest doubt that India wishes Pakistan well. That’s still true. No Indian PM has made as many gestures to Pakistan for close friendly relations as Narendra Modi has. But the Pak army and the ISI which have learnt no lessons since 1947 have foiled all those noble endeavours. They are the losers. Sooner they realise it, better it will be.
Pakistani generals must internalise some basic home truths. India is not prepared for a second partition; irrespective of which party is in power in Delhi, no government will let you have Kashmir. Stop day dreaming; Kashmir’s accession in India is a historical fact, you can’t change it.
The terrorists whom you have been breeding to attack India will one day devour you. Be a responsible member of South Asia. Your future progress and prosperity lie in good neighbourly relations with India. USA, China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Türkiye and Malaysia should whisper this in Pakistani ears.
Attempts to harm India are foolhardy. Remember what your tallest poet Allama Iqbal once wrote about India:
“Kuchh baat hai ki hashti mitati nahi hamari
Sadiyon raha ha hai dushman duar e zamaan ha hamara
Saare jahan se achha Hidustan hamara!”
* Surendra Kumar is a retired Indian ambassador.