J K News Today
Pakistan is trying everything to draw political and diplomatic intervention of powerful countries of the world to mediate to resolve the Kashmir issue , but the Pakistani opinion makers have advised the establishment to look for more realistic ways of engaging with India to get the matters solved. In a way, they are suggesting that Pakistan should stop pursuing something in the diplomatic world that is near impossible given the world situation.
Short of outrightly reprimanding Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary for seeking the US mediation in resolving the Kashmir issue, Pakistan’s leading newspaper Dawn in its Editorial on Thursday asked the establishment to recall history and its results . It wrote: experience and history teach us that America or other ‘influential’ states are not very interested in jumping into the boiling cauldron of South Asian regional politics, and peace will only come to this region when states themselves are ready for it.”
The context was Pakistan Foreign Secretary’s phone call to the US officials urging them to mediate between India and Pakistan. The newspaper said it may be an “ attractive” proposition but unhesitatingly said it was unrealistic to ask US to mediate at a time when America was headed toward Presidential elections in November. In between the lines , it was mocking at the foreign policy designers of Pakistan who , despite knowing the domestic political priorities of the US were asking for something that may not figure on the agenda of Washington at all.
Reminding the proponents of seeking international attention, the newspaper of the ground realities, the newspaper wrote in a caustic manner : “While the government’s sentiment to get Washington involved in order to resolve South Asia’s bitterest dispute must be appreciated, some ground realities ought to be considered.”
The newspaper shuffled pages of history while noting : “ Ever since independence, America has hardly rushed forward to end the hostility between Pakistan and India. In fact, when it comes to this relationship, the US has only intervened during times of extreme crisis, for example during the Kargil fiasco. Moreover, even if the US did come round to committing itself to playing peacemaker in South Asia, the fact is with an election looming in November, no US candidate will have the appetite to commit to this role. Facilitating diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and India is no easy task, and both major parties in the US will be too preoccupied with their own domestic issues to spend time and energy on South Asian peace.”
The newspaper also reminded that nothing can be achieved unless or until India is willing on any count.
That is the end of the matter.
