Indian shelling on LoC during Obama’s visit is sedative

ISLAMABAD: Shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary (WB) on the occasion of US President Barack Obama’s visit to New Delhi was sadistic, which should not be happened.
At the time, Obama participated in the ceremony of Indian Republic Day in New Delhi, there was complete shutdown in Indian occupied Kashmir, which was not carried out by Pakistan but Kashmiris themselves. India ought to think seriously why Kashmiris on the occasion of Indian Republic Day demonstrated and shut down in the occupied territory.
These views were expressed by renowned journalist Hamid Mir in his Capital Talk programme on Geo News, regarding US President Barack Obama’s visit to India. Hamid Mir said that UN charter needed amendments before India was given permanent membership of UN Security Council. Not only India but Japan, Germany and Brazil were also eager to be the members of the council. “The day when Obama and Narindra Modi were addressing press conference in New Delhi, India started heavy firing on the LoC and Working Boundary,” he added.
The participants in the show were PML-N Senator Tariq Azeem, former DG Intelligence Bureau Masood Sharif Khattak, Air Marshal (R) Shaid Lateef, defense analyst Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, National Spokesperson for ruling Indian political party BJP and former Indian consul general to Karachi Rajiv Dogra and former deputy chief of the army staff and defence expert Let Gen (R) Raj Kadyan.
Tariq Azeem during discourse said that there was nothing new in US-India relations as both had strategic relations for a long time. US intended to use India against China and Russia. Secondly, India was the country having more than one billion population so the US wanted to enlarge its exports to India. Thirdly, India was the largest importing arm country therefore US sought to boost its arms industry by exporting weapon to it.
“Declared nuclear states become members of UN Security Council and the world realizes that not only India but Pakistan is the nuclear state as well. So Pakistan has full right to become the permanent member of the Security Council,” he added.
Tariq Azeem said that there was massacre of Sikhs in Chattisinghpora in March 2000, as ex-US president Bill Clinton was visiting India. It came out as an open secret that the plot of the tragedy was carried out by Indian forces as a commanding officer of Rashtriya Rifles was given charge sheet and the case was still in the India Supreme Court. “If Indian forces shells our borders, we are supposed to respond,” he added.
Masood Sharif Khatak said that Pakistan’s importance was not diminished by Obama’s visit to India. US had also good relations with Pakistan, but it was the matter of concern that Obama asserted India’s enhanced role in Afghanistan.
“India and Pakistan must think that both the countries have to survive in the region, so they should resolve all the outstanding issues including the vital issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding, “There will be nuclear race in the region if US exports arms to India, as Kashmir is unresolved issue between both the countries”.
Masood Sharif said that it was not easy for India to be permanent member of the Security Council, and it had long journey to fulfill its desire. China had openly expressed that India was the non-signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He said that NPT would lose its importance if India was awarded membership of the Security Council. Replying to a question Masood Sharif said that there were no chances of war between India and China. Pakistan and India ought to think that there was also no option of war between them after being nuclear powers.
He rejected Indian allegations that Pakistan was sponsoring terrorism saying If Pakistan was involved in terrorism, the terror attacks should be in any other country. He said that Kashmir was entirely shutdown on the occasion of Indian Republic Day amid with Barack Obama’s visit to New Delhi. The shutdown in Kashmir was not executed by Pakistan but Kashmiri people. “India must acknowledge that resolving the Kashmir issue is inevitable,” he said.
Shahid Lateef said that there was concern that the armed race in India was against which country. Importing arms by India was worrisome and the matter of concern. “The nuclear treaty between US and India was under bewilderment in liabilities and tracking device but resolving the issues at once is the question of concern,” he said.
Shahid Lateef said that Chuck Hegel, US Defence Secretary, in 2008 wrote comprehensive evidence report to Obama regarding India’s sponsoring terrorism and financing terrorists in Afghanistan. ISAF commander in Afghanistan also raised the issue about Indian intervention in Balochistan through Afghan border.
“There are many issues between Pakistan and India which must be resolved, Kashmir is recognised as an international dispute and Pakistan has been trying to resolve the issue through peaceful dialogue but it is India which always runs away from negotiations,” he emphatically said. He added that India must look into the issues of Kashmir, Siachen and water and must resolve them peacefully with Pakistan.
BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said that India was not acquiring arms against Pakistan but for its own defence and stability. He said that India had been seeking the membership of UN Security Council for long time and it should not lose the chance this time and India would succeed in getting the position now.
Replying to a question he said “Negotiations are not possible in the boom of bomb blasts, Kashmir is no more international issue but is bilateral issue after Shimla Agreement,” he said. Shahnawaz Hussain maintained that India didn’t want interference of any third power as it was the bilateral issue between Pakistan and India.
Raj Kadyan said that India was the biggest country of importing arms and its 65-70 percent arms were being imported from other countries. “India used to import most of the arms from Russia but now the policy has been shifted towards US,” he maintained.
Raj Kayan confessed that Pak-China friendship was very deep and there was no question about it. He raised the question that there had been four meetings between US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi but why there were not four meetings between Pakistani and Indian prime ministers. He said that US also had exported arms to Pakistan and there had also been rumors that US ammunition sent to Afghanistan had reached Pakistan but India never did any objection in any case.