Russia frustrates Indian efforts to isolate Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: India’s former ally, Russia has declined to support India on its fake surgical strike in Kashmir as the Russian government has disowned its ambassador in New Delhi who in a statement of last week supported India on so-called surgical strikes against Pakistan across the LoC in Kashmir.

With this India has failed in obtain a pat on its back for escalation against Pakistan from any important world capital, including permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (P-5). Special Assistant to Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi has confirmed that Russian government has intimated Pakistan about its position on the Indian claims of surgical strikes and distained from the assertions made by its envoy in New Delhi Alexander Kadakin who in an undue haste issued a statement supporting Indian position.

Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News here Sunday that Pakistan agitated with Kremlin about the remarks of its ambassador in the Indian capital. Russia while responding to Pakistan has made it absolutely clear that the statement of its ambassador in New Delhi doesn’t commensurate with the Russian position on the subject and it disapproved the observations of Ambassador Alexander Kadakin.

It is understood that the ambassador who is serving in New Delhi since 2009 would be reprimanded on this count. Alexander Kadakin welcomed Indian so-called raids on terrorist launch-pads across the LoC. Kadakin said the military exercise with Pakistan was in fact intended to encourage that country not to target its neighbour. “India should not be concerned about military exercises between Russia and Pakistan because the theme of the exercise is anti-terror fighting. That’s in India’s interests that we teach Pakistani Army not to use itself for terror attacks against India. We welcome the surgical strike. Every country has right to defend itself,” Kadakin was quoted as having told an Indian news channel. Russia had raised some concern in Delhi with its anti-terror exercise in Pakistan coming at a time when India was looking to diplomatically isolate Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. However, Russia had even then sought to assuage India’s apprehensions by saying the exercise would not take place in areas that are subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. This was the first such military exercise between the two countries in Pakistan. Kadakin, however, said Russia had only acted in India’s interests by conducting the exercise with Pakistan. In its statement last week, Russia had said it was concerned with the aggravation of the situation along the LoC between India and Pakistan. It called for the parties not to allow any escalation of tension and to settle the existing problems by political and diplomatic means through negotiations.

The sources said that India’s posture of escalation with Pakistan has been discarded by the United States publicly and even through diplomatic channels. China has supported Pakistan’s position publicly while Britain and France reaction against the escalation was muted without supporting any of the countries. The sources said that three Indian major political parties Indian Congress, Communist Party of India, AAP and some members of the ruling alliance have disputed the claims made by the Indian army under the instructions of prime minister Modi regarding the so-called surgical strikes in Azad Kashmir while a streak for escalation against Pakistan couldn’t attract enthusiastic public support except Indian media especially anchors of ‘idiot box’ had been creating war hysteria.

The sources said that Pakistan is somewhat satisfied about the US reaction regarding use of violation by India in Indian Held Kashmir. Washington has openly rebuffed India on the use of violence in the IHK. Pakistan’s diplomatic engagements and cold shouldering to India by the world capitals for its stance have compelled India to take steps for lowering the temperature but communication channels between Islamabad and New Delhi aren’t currently working. It is believed that the two countries would take long for resumption of normal communication. The two capitals had the highest echelon contact last week when the national security advisors of the two countries had discussion on the hotline immediately after the fake surgical strike by India, the sources said.