India fights Pakistan at ‘Pulwama’ and ‘International Court of Justice’
KANCHAN BASU
While a befitting reply to the ‘Pulwama attack’ is the need of the hour, the Government must get down to finding a lasting solution to the ‘Kashmir Problem’. The ‘Dastardly Attack’ on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Convoy taking the lives of the para-military men has shaken the very conscience of the Nation. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it woke us up from our slumber and made us witness the reality of ‘War’ we are in.
There is an old habit in some media and intellects to project terrorists less as murderers and more ordinary people who have just dealt a traumatic past. Not only is this a grave insult to the innocents who lost their lives, and their families but also a shocking leeway to one of the biggest threats to ‘World Peace’.
Terrorism has been one of the biggest threats to ‘World Peace’ in recent times. In 2018 alone, there have been over 300 terror attacks in the World and more than 4000 people have died, and the number is swelling day by day.
Yet, there are people in the World who have the courage to acknowledge the Elephant in the room. However, some are busy in drumming up creative excuses to justify ‘Jihad and Terrorism’. According to some, terrorism in only caused due to economic factors. When terrorists kill innocent people, they do it because they are unemployed, poor and have had a traumatic childhood.
Amid India’s tension with Pakistan over the deadliest attack in Jammu and Kashmir Pulwama on a security convoy, India in UN’s top Court asked Pakistan to do away with Kulbhushan Jadhav’s ‘Death Sentence’.
According to India, Kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran has been awarded ‘Death Sentence’ by Pakistani Military Court for alleged ‘espionage’ and awarded him death in April 2017, following which India moved the Hague based International Court of Justice (ICJ).
A 10 Member Bench of ICJ in May 2017 restrained Pakistan from executing Kulbhushan till adjuration of the case. Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed that it arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav from Baluchistan on March 3, 2016, after he allegedly centered from Iran. However, India mentions in its statement that Kulbhushan was kidnapped from Iran, where he had business interest after retiring from the ‘Indian Navy’.
The ‘trial of Kulbhushan Jadhav’ by a Pakistani’s Military Court ‘hopelessly failed’ to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process and India requested the International Court of Justice to declare it unlawful.
Having sent out an indication of being prepared for a ‘military strike’ by India, Pakistan went into overdrive to control the situation ‘Politically’ and ‘Diplomatically’. Most perfidiously, it rejected Indian ‘Allegations’ linking the attack to the country.
The next step was initiation of a ‘Diplomatic Blitzkrieg’ in which first to be invited for a briefing by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua were the Ambassadors of the P-5 Nations viz. US, China, Russia, Britain and France.
Tasmina Janjua, once again and most perfidiously, rejected Indian allegations against Pakistan and noted, “A familiar Indian pattern of immediate and reflexive assignment of ‘Blame’ on Pakistan without investigations”.
More than 40 Countries have extended support to India and issued strong statements against Pakistan. This can be a big success for Indian External and Diplomatic Policy. The situation between 2005 and 2014 in Kashmir was quite ‘Peaceful’, it should be analyzed and stressed out why these ‘Terror Activities’ increased in the Kashmir Valley after a lull of lull of ‘several years’. But there should be definitely an action and that action should be in a planned manner, not hurry. As we know that Osama Bin Laden was also not killed in a day despite the fact that USA had known he was hidden in Pakistan.
A Multi Cultural Society in Jammu and Kashmir in the answer to the crisis and achieving this requires enormous political will and courage. “INSANIYAT, JAMHORIYAT, KASHMIRIYAT” are the three Words Central to what it’s known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee doctrine for the Kashmir. Of these ‘Three Words’, the one which starkly stands out is ‘KASHMIRIYAT’. Its origin can be traced to the rule of Zain-ul-Abidin, the Eight Sultan of Kashmir embodying the once ‘Secular and Multi Cultural Ethos of Kashmir’, it has been used generously by both the mainstream polity of Kashmir and Liberal Intelligentsia, which criticizing the past and present policies of Government in Kashmir.
Sending a strong message to Pakistan, Members of India Delegation attending the hearing of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at ‘International Court of Justice’ (ICJ) in Hague snubbed their Pakistani Counterparts by refusing to shake hands with them. The gesture reflected the heightened tensions between the two sides in the wake of ‘Brutal Attack’ in Pulwama.
(The writer is a columnist and a Member of Indian Journalists’ Association. He can be reached at [email protected])