World Economic Forum at Davos provides a good forum for informal interactions amongst World leaders. During such interaction between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump once again caught India by its throat during Davos annual gala. He rubbed more salt into the bruised Indian ego when he welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan for their meeting on January 21. Trump startled everybody when he mentioned the word Kashmir, to India’s chagrin, in his opening remarks. He said: “We’re going to be talking about trade and many other things. But trade is going to be of very, very paramount importance. And we’re doing more trade as it turns. And we’re working together on some borders, and we’re talking about Kashmir and the relation to what’s going on with Pakistan and India.
Trump’s repeat offer to mediate on Kashmir came as a breeze of fresh air for Imran Khan who is now under increasing domestic pressure for his inability to achieve anything tangible on Kashmir issue since August 05. There are also murmurs that he may have bartered Kashmir as part of some greater international bargain. His deafening silence after his address to the UNGA session in September 2019 and go slow profile of his government on Kashmir issue has made some Kashmir’s guess that Pakistan may have opted to betray Kashmir’s. He is also being criticised for letting pass India’s ongoing crisis thrown-up by Modi’s CAA-NRC blunder (Citizen Amendment Act & National Register of Citizens) by not effectively linking it with the Kashmir issue.
Imran Khan has once again called upon US President Donald Trump and the United Nations to intervene for resolution of outstanding Kashmir dispute. In an interview with CNBC, he said that Kashmir is a far more serious problem than the people and the world realise. Khan said that India has been taken over by an “extremist” ideology which is called Hindutva or the RSS. He said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a life member of this outfit. Referring to the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir, the prime minister said 8 million people have been put under siege there since August 5 last year. The Indian forces have picked up thousands of Kashmiri teenagers and arrested their political leaders. Khan said it is a serious situation and reiterated his warning that this could potentially spill over into a conflict between the two nuclear armed countries.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has warned that deterioration of the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir or a conflict in South Asia will leave negative impact on the regional economy. In a statement, he said that Prime Minister Khan has effectively and forcefully presented its stance on important matters. He also said that US President Trump has expressed willingness to visit Pakistan. He said the US president considers Pakistan an important country and that he wants to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.
Trump has the unique ability to create serious crisis instantly even when there are no supporting circumstances; and deny the existence of a fast sucking-in crisis when catastrophe is imminent, and walk away with a mischievous smile. With this personality trait, it is difficult to assess weather Trump is serious about resolving Kashmir issue or is just trying to please Pakistan till the upcoming peace agreement with Taliban. One thing that gives credence to his effort is that Kashmir issue was part of his electoral manifesto. And he has followed-up on some of such promises with amazing perseverance. Once again, Modi’s bluff has been called.
Trump said: “And if we can help, we certainly will be helping. And we’ve been watching that and following it very, very closely”. In a follow up, much to the chagrin of the rightist and self-righteous Indian leadership, the White House even put that clip of Trump’s opening remarks on the official website.
Trump-Imran meeting was the third in less than a year amid reports that the US and Afghan Taliban are close to striking a peace deal after over yearlong painstaking peace process. Ahead of Davos talks Trump had said trade and borders were both critical points for discussion, while the premier had said that for him Afghanistan was the top priority. PM conveyed Islamabad’s concerns over increasing tensions in the Persian Gulf region and the impact any conflict could have on Pakistan.
Irrespective of whether Trump actually does something on Kashmir issue, one good thing has emerged out of the events since August 5 forcible annexation of Kashmir by India; both Trump and Modi have done a big service to Kashmiris; the former by publicly offering support in resolution and the latter by revoking Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Indian constitution. Both have achieved in six months what Pakistan could not in seven decades. Thank you Mr. Trump and Narendra Modi, say Kashmiri Muslims, for taking the gloss off the “shining secular India” perception and exposing the narrow-ended Hinudtva mindset.
And interestingly, to balance it off, here in Islamabad Chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs, Alice Wells came down hard upon flagship project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC. It was embarrassing for Pakistan to let a US diplomat criticise China from its soil. Wells emphasised that there is no transparency in the projects and it will increase cash-strapped Pakistan’s debt burden. Wells insisted that Chinese money was not an assistance. She also pointed out that companies blacklisted by the World Bank have got contracts under the CPEC. Wells had in November last year urged Pakistanis to ask “tough questions” to China on the CPEC, saying the project is going to take a toll on the country’s economy. She urged Pakistan to rethink its involvement in it. Wells also questioned the immunity from prosecution for the newly formed CPEC Authority. Previously, Wells had said, “We hope Pakistanis will ask Beijing tough questions on debt, accountability, fairness and transparency… Ask the Chinese government why it is pursuing a development model in Pakistan that significantly deviates from what brought China its own economic success.” Chinese side has issued a strong rebuttal, asking the US to desist from interfering in Pakistan-China relationship. Pakistan has also issued an official refutation of Well’s account.
Wells’ stern criticism came just after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi sought closer engagement and a robust trade and investment relationship between Pakistan and the US during his recent visit to Washington. Qureshi had also sought help from the US to get the country off the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Trump assured Imran that he would visit Pakistan soon. He termed the third meeting between the two leaders ‘good’ and added they discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship; “important issues” were discussed with Trump and his “entire team”. Imran informed the US side of Islamabad’s efforts regarding Financial Action Task Force’s grey list, and further asked for relaxation of US travel advisory on Pakistan. The meeting also discussed the issue of Kashmir and the US president agreed that “there should be a solution” for the decades-long dispute.
In Islamabad, Chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs, Alice Wells, met Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood on January 21, where the two sides discussed a range of bi-lateral issues, including political engagement and economic partnership, a Foreign Office statement said. Wells emphasised that a strong trade and in-vestment relationship was key to advancing the shared vision of the leadership of both countries for a long term, broad-based and enduring partnership. Foreign secretary highlighted the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in IOK, intensified ceasefire violations from the Indian side, belligerent rhetoric of the Indian civil and military figures, and India’s aggressive measures along the Line of Control. He stressed the need for the international community to play its role in the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The two sides also discussed recent developments regarding the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
Wells held talks with national leadership on several issues, including Pak-US ties, the Afghan reconciliation process, and ongoing tensions in the region and Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir. She followed up on the foreign minister’s discussions in Washington where he had met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser Robert O’ Brien, and Under Secretary of Defence John Rood. The foreign minister recently concluded a three-day visit to the United States the third leg of his mission to defuse tensions in the Middle East after having already visited Tehran and Riyadh as part of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the region.
And in IOK, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti termed the visit of Indian ministers to occupied Kashmir “curated photo” opportunity to show there is normalcy in the region, even though there is “internet shutdown” in the valley. “Normalcy acrobatics in full swing. Kashmir continues to reel under a crippling internet shutdown & political leaders remain detained. There is massive surveillance & heavy troop presence yet curated photo ops continue,” a tweet on Mehbooba Mufti’s Twitter handle reads. Mehbooba’s daughter Iltija Mufti has been operating her mother’s Twitter handle since August 5 when the PDP president was placed under detention in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 provisions.
One can’t be sure whether Trump really wants to help resolve Kashmir issue or he is using it as a carrot until he signs peace deal with Taliban. What Wells said about CPEC matters a lot, Indo-US nexus will continue to create hurdles in the way of timely completion of CPEC. Also Modi has to come clean on his request to Trump for mediation on Kashmir.
Imran needs to capitalize on Trump’s fresh offer as it gives him another opportunity to rejuvenate his effort for resolution of Kashmir issue through a strategic direction and a credible plan of action.
