To parliament at last

In his infinite generosity Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has summoned the Parliament—normally considered as the source of all power in a democratic country. By the time you will be reading this, it would have been in session to discuss the war-like situation. Precursor to it was a pantomime-like assemblage called APC (All Parties Conference).

Thanks to PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who by his attendance gave it respectability and seriousness. His speech and his assurance to the prime minister that irrespective of his failure to hold a transparent inquiry into allegations of money laundering by his kith and kin -— in view of the gravity of border situation-- his party and he would stand by the government in a unified counter offensive. His outstanding commitment for garnering unity to fight a lethal threat to the country brought out the Bhutto in him.

In the heat of war hysteria on the two sides of the Indo-Pakistan sub-continental divide-it was a silver lining that strengthened the perception among people like me that all was still not lost. Without resorting to media jingoism and lingual vitriol a firm message can be sent across that we are not scared of saber rattling, with our preparedness we are ready for any eventuality. However, we sincerely want to settle the core issue of Kashmir through bilateral negotiations as agreed in Simla Agreement signed by two great leaders of the sub-continent — Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indira Gandhi in 1972.

No doubt the current scenario is grim. India does not seem to want to cool down following the Uri incident. Ever since then frequency of violations on the LoC have made the situation abnormally tense, worsened by trigger happy security forces rampant in their crack down and enforcing curfew, casualties rising every hour, adding fuel to the fire. The popular crescendo demanding United Nations to implement Security Council Resolutions for the right of self-determination — seemed to have been given new lease of life.

Pakistan pushed into corner by the blame game has been trying to deflect the diplomatic offensive by its neighbour to isolate it in the international community. Its ready willingness to join probe with India to find out who the culprits were has not been successful. All the hope of speedy normalisation of relations between the two countries following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December last year, seems have been consigned to the archives of their Foreign Offices.

I being an optimist had thought that whatever was happening was a seasonal affair. Since many years I have noticed – irrespective of sporadic violations on the Line of Control (LoC) — matters got heated and into the media headlines — nearer to the coming winter and most of the time in September. Advent of snowfall subsequently cools down the tempers and when it becomes intense — the terrain gets literally frozen.

This notion that it being part of a seasonal affair got ruled out by the increasing violation of human rights. With an ultra rightist prime minister in power, there seems to be no let up. On both sides there is manifestation of method in the madness. Apparently policy planners in Delhi feel that it can crush the local hullabaloo and get away by imposing constitutional changes that strengthen the case of disputed territory as its integral part.

The joke seems to have taken much more serious proportion following hard hitting speeches by Prime Minister Modi especially the one in which he threatened Pakistan to cut off water from source to its rivers in violation of internationally binding Indus Water Treaty. Rightly so, Pakistan’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has described this threat as amounting to declaration of war. Indian boycott of the Saarc summit that was to be held in November in Islamabad and its lobbying leading to its cancellation — needs no explanation that Delhi means business.

The growing tension between two nuclear countries has been cause of concern in many capitals. United States has urged upon both to cool down and resume talks to resolve disputes that keep Islamabad and Delhi at logger heads. More or less this is the view of other friendly countries too.

Pakistan’s most trusted friend China “hopes that Pakistan and India will strengthen channels for dialogue, appropriately handle any differences, improve bilateral relations and together protect the region's peace and stability.” This was conveyed by its deputy foreign minister to Pakistan's special envoys to Beijing for Kashmir, according to the Chinese foreign ministry website.

This statement pushed me into memory lane. I recall Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s visit to China soon after her assumption of office in early 1989. I have had the pleasure of accompanying her father martyred Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974 to Beijing when both of its great leaders — Chairman Mao and Prime Minister Zhou en-Lai—were alive. The great warmth and unprecedented reception extended to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was a clear manifestation of the love and affection that SZAB had infused in consolidating Pakistan’s relations with China taking it to unsurpassable heights of friendship.

It was Benazir Bhutto’s “sentimental journey”. Obviously she was excited — she had been to Beijing with her father in 1972. She had seen closely its top political hierarchy. She knew the depth of relations that SZAB had achieved with the Chinese leadership painstakingly striven during his six visits. Her trip besides being nostalgic was an opportunity to pick up the pieces and revive ties with China to the same height that SZAB had left.

Benazir Bhutto had more than two and a half hour long private meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng. They covered vast areas of bilateral relations, Pakistan’s role under Benazir’s leadership in global and regional politics. Being a senior leader Li Peng gave her his world view of the possible future course of currents and cross currents in global politics. His advice to Benazir Bhutto served as a guiding principle for her foreign policy. She also had more than 90-minute long meeting with Supreme leader aging Deng Xiaopeng. Deng did most of the talking fondly recalling his long association with Bhutto Sahib.

Benazir Bhutto was fond of unwinding herself with her close aides. I being one of those very few fortunate ones who were trusted to share what transpired between the two prime ministers. Martyred Benazir disclosed that Li Peng stressed upon her to concentrate on economic development. He was aware of Pakistan’s concerns over the unresolved Kashmir issue. He told her never to allow the situation to reach a point of no return and that she should follow China’s policy with India.

China has a border dispute with India and been to war with it in 1962. Notwithstanding the dispute and skirmishes, China has developed trade and commercial ties with Delhi growing each year more than the previous. Li Peng told Benazir not to ever allow situationto drift in a manner that would retard trade and economic relations. Finally, about Kashmir, he assured full Chinese support to Pakistan’s point of view. However, adding that “don’t talk of war” pursue negotiated settlement.

Li Peng’s advice became a guiding light for her. When she became prime minister second time, she left no stone unturned in developing economy and making sincere efforts for the resolution of Kashmir dispute with India. She stoutly opposed doing anything that would have given India an excuse to market externally the Kashmiri intifada as a movement supported from outside as had become the case during General Musharraf’s tenure. Her instructions to me as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK were to mobilise international support for the people of Kashmir on gross violation of human rights. She believed that if any external physical support was found in aid of peaceful Kashmiri freedom struggle — it would just subvert their genuine cause and India would get away by calling it as outside aggression.

I don’t remember who said it but whoever did say it well -- fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif probably aspiring to be much wanted foreign minister in an interview published in Kashmir Times, found fault in Simla agreement. He believes Bhutto Sahib harmed the cause of Kashmir. He perhaps does know understand that Simla agreement signed by Bhutto sahib and Mrs Indira Gandhi accepted Kashmir as a disputed territory and they had agreed to resolve it bilaterally without prejudice to UN Security Council’s resolutions.

It was a master stroke of Bhutto’s statesmanship that despite being the leader of a vanquished country with a fractured and humiliated army — he negotiated the agreement with dignity on equal terms, recovering 12,000 kilometres of West Pakistani territory lost to Indians in the battle on the negotiating table — a fact even acknowledged by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Mier as a most outstanding diplomatic feat. Indian media severally criticised Mrs Gandhi for what termed as “colossal diplomatic defeat”. Thanks to Simla agreement Pakistan and India have had sustained peace for 43 years despite misadventures like that of Kargil.

One does not know what course would be decided by the Parliament in its debate, I believe the emphasis should be to make Pakistan’s foreign policy proactive and free it of its inactive mould. Both Pakistan and India need to revisit Simla now as way out from a near war like situation. Leaders in the two countries should show the same quality of statesmanship that led to Simla Agreement without outside initiation. Simla spirit can go a long way in serving cause of peace and stability in the region.

The author is former High Commissioner of Pakistan and a veteran journalist