Hides behind two-nation and “ jugular vein “ theories
JK News Today Analysis
Pakistan army chief Gen. Asim Munir’s speech at Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 16 has a couple of takeaways for India and Jammu and Kashmir, in particular, but the content , body language and delivery made it all clear that he is a frustrated narrator in chief of the story of Pakistan that he wanted the children and grandchildren of overseas Pakistanis to know.
There is another aspect wrapped in mystery whether Gen. Munir spoke for 8.38 minutes only . It is most unlikely , as the excerpts that ISPR posted appeared to be the abridged version of the original speech , which given the love Gen. Munir has for his own noise must have been quite lengthy.
In India, there has been focus on two things , what he said about Hindus being a separate nation , and the creation of Pakistan as a sequence to two-nation theory which envisaged Muslims as a separate nation , whose culture, traditions and cuisine were different from Hindus., and the other that “ Kashmir is jugular vein of Pakistan.”
He told overseas Pakistanis : “ You have to narrate Pakistan’s story to your children so that they don’t forget it when our forefathers thought that we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our religion is different , our customs are different, our traditions are different , our thoughts are different , our ambitions are different – that’s where the foundation of the two-nation theory was laid . We are two nations, we are not one nation..”
There is a catch. Gen. Munir went to recall two-nation theory that led to Partition in 1947, to stoke the pure Muslim theory to hide what was happening in Pakistan today . The whole economy is faltering, political leadership is adrift and Pakistan is facing a specter of losing provinces sooner than later as the people are not willing to be cowed down by the oppression and atrocities by the army .
Gen. Asim Munir , is deeply frustrated that Pakistan’s narrative in Jammu and Kashmir on the Indian side has miserably failed . It is not a greener pasture but a wasteland, where terrorists are brought, trained and exported , but before that they also commit unspeakable atrocities on the women in PoJK , what it calls “ Azad Kashmir.”Post revocation of Article 370 , clarity has been delivered in the Valley that their fate is intrinsically linked with India, and they are watching the crumbling state of Pakistan .
As far as his repeated claim that Kashmir is Pakistan’s jugular vein , Gen. Munir needs to understand three basic things – what do Kashmiris in the Valley think of Pakistan especially after they have witnessed peace and prosperity in the post Article 370 –abrogation . Even in 1990s when the terrorism was at its peak, the Kashmiri separatists to were against their being considered as “ jugular vein of Pakistan,” and All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders were very clear that Pakistan doesn’t represent them. There is yet another question : “ Do the people of PoJK consider themselves as part of the vein of Pakistan.” Related query is, if Kashmir is “ jugular vein,” , why PoJK people have been denied right to live , why are they facing bullets for flour, electricity and their basic rights .. If you have cut the jugular vein in PoJK , how can Pakistan think of J&K ever becoming the one.
This is view from this side .
In Pakistan as its social media outlets have scrutinized , the speech , they have read this as a speech of the failed army General , who had no answers to the problems in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , two of the most turbulent provinces where separatist insurgencies have taken hold , despite massive military oppression and atrocities on the people.
They were quite hurt with Gen. Munir’s claim that 1500 terrorists would not be able to take Balochistan away from Pakistan . Pakistanis said if there were only 1500 men and women active in Balochistan , then it was a big reflection and admission by Pakistani army as it could not control them. The analysts in Pakistan referred Gen. Munir to hijacking of Jaffar Express train in March this year , with army having no clue . Thereafter, a string of assaults followed on Pakistani soldiers and civilians . This, they called was shameless failure that triggered frustration in army chief to which he gave vent at the overseas meet.
Pakistanis are disturbed over the repeated references to the holy Quran by Gen. Asim , almost replicating Gen. Zia-ul-Haq whose romanticism with extremist or ultra puritan Islam put Pakistan on the part of death and destruction and gave rise to terrorism .Some of the commentators said that Gen. Munir spoke like a “ Mullah”- cleric in a mosque , forgetting the audience that he was addressing .
