Time to act

This refers to the letter ‘Now or never’ (Aug 17) by Mohammad Khalid Bhatti. Pakistan requested for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The council met, deliberated but issued no statement nor decided on a way forward. Likewise, no immediate relief is provided to the Kashmiris suffering under Indian lockdown. The Security Council seems to show no urgency about the situation in IOK. The few statements that came out from certain members merely advised restraint and avoiding further escalation. Pakistan should have simultaneously induced a perception of a crisis-like situation by promoting war hysteria, severing diplomatic relations, shutting down airspace etc. This would have ignited a sense of urgency among world powers to defuse the situation -- and incentivized them to bring normalcy.

We are putting all our trust in the UNSC and hoping that the US president will stand on our side. We are deceiving ourselves into believing that some world power would come to our aid. We have to fight the war ourselves and time is of the essence. If we procrastinate, the Kashmir cause will lose its steam among the international community. Time is running out.

Shoaib A Majeed

Karachi