JK News Today Commentary
Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar unveiled fundamental flaws of Pakistan when he commented , “ no country will ever come out of a difficult situation and become prosperous power if its basic industry is terrorism.”
This observation that Jaishankar made at Asia Economic Dialogue in Pune on Thursday , is not just the Indian view of the neighbouring country , but this is the view that the rest of the world also shares . For India , Pakistan’s crisis , political economic or situational , hold extraordinary significance as whatever it does to the outside world or within its own borders impacts the situation in this country too. As immediate neighbour to Pakistan , India cannot escape the consequences thereof.
Jaishankar has acquainted Pakistan and the rest of the world about the home truths about the western neighbour . At the moment , Pakistan is not grappling with the political, economic crisis , but also a problem of surviving as a nation . Much of the problem is from within , and it is rooted in terrorism and the investment that its establishment and the government have made in this industry .
For most of Indians , Pakistan is a country that destroyed peace in Jammu and Kashmir through proxy war, in which it used the produce of its factories of terrorism. It thought that the export of its material of the factories would help it capture the territory and make the gullible sections of people hostage to its ideology based on the radical Islam and territorial affinity . And , the Indians have neither forgotten nor forgiven the 26/11 and its perpetrators. All of them belonged to Pakistan and some of them are still roaming freely there. The Parliament attack of December 2001 and Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019 , too is entrenched the collective memory of Indians.
This is what Indians have witnessed and experienced over the decades, particularly since 1990s. But the world , especially the western world , also discovered that how Pakistan had its footprints and behind the scene mechanism working round the clock in promoting terrorism. From 9/11 , the most horrendous terror attack in the world in the modern history , to Madrid train bombings , to London bombings, the trail of investigations have exposed Pakistan as a state which is dependent on terrorism to harass and intimidate the world . It should also not be forgotten that Pakistan was on grey list of Financial Action Task Force ( FATF) from 2018 to 2021. There were concerns all across the world ., which made FATF to take action against Pakistan and put the country on its grey list.
The Indian External Affairs Minister while analyzing the current situation in Pakistan , which is full of gloom , and the economy has dipped to the level where the people are worried about their own survival and also about the nation which has disappointed them and put them in a state of unending uncertainty . This uncertainty is killing Pakistanis and their nation .
In these times , when India is helping all its neighbours and extended neighbours besides the distant places , it could have easily helped Pakistan to overcome its economic crisis . Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves are alarmingly low , and it is hoping for IMF loan . The IMF has put strict conditions for the loan, which Pakistanis believe would add to their hardships.
Jaishankar put it quite aptly ,” The reality of this particular relationship ( between India and Pakistan) is that it has a fundamental issue which we cannot and we must not avoid. And that issue is that of terrorism because the moment you start doing this walk around that…”.
“And we mustn’t be in denial of what are very fundamental problems in that relationship. And just as a country has to fix its economic issues, a country has to fix its political issues, too. A country has to fix its social issues too. No country will ever come out of a difficult situation and become prosperous power if its basic industry is terrorism,”
So, the essence of the message for Pakistan is that it should first turn off tap of terrorism to establish its credentials as a nation that could be helped to overcome its severe economic crisis.
