How four tweets of Vikas Swarup had Pakistan running for cover
On October 1, India changed the rule of the game that Pakistan had been playing on Kashmir so far, putting the neighbouring country completely on the defensive. In a paradigm shift, India has launched an offensive never witnessed since independence - not only has it uttered the “K” word, but also preceded it with “Pakistan-occupied”.
In a befitting rebuttal to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who raised the Kashmir issue in his UN speech, ministry of external affairs' (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup raised the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and asked the neighbouring nation to vacate it early. Just before external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Swarup posted four tweets to launch a frontal attack on Pakistan.
Sharif UNGA speech: Pak PM gets foreign occupation right, occupier wrong. We urge early vacation of Pak occupied Kashmir
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015Pakistan is not primary victim of terrorism but of its own policies. It is in fact the prime sponsor of terrorism.
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015To de-militarize Kashmir is not the answer, to de-terrorize Pakistan is.
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015Pakistan's instability arises from its breeding of terrorists. Blaming neighbors is not a solution.
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015Pakistan has got a taste of its own medicine. It is perhaps the first of its kind aggression witnessed on the part of India on Kashmir. So far, India desisted from internationalising the Kashmir issue. It was Pakistan, which never lost an opportunity to raise the Kashmir issue on international forums, forcing India to just to defend itself. But India's new-found aggression will surely put the neighbouring nation on the defensive now.
The new stance is a major shift from the 1972 Shimla Agreement, according to which India and Pakistan have accepted the Cease-Fire Line as the Line of Control (LoC) between Kashmir and PoK. As per the UN resolution, a plebiscite has to be held to decide Kashmir’s future but only after the withdrawal of Pakistani Army from the non-state elements and partial withdrawal of Indian forces.
Till a plebiscite takes place, the LoC remains the dividing line between Kashmir and PoK, and has been the accepted stand of the two countries, the intermittent ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the border notwithstanding. However, India’s aggressive posture is sure to take Pakistan by surprise. It may be forced to tweak its strategy to match India’s coup of sorts on it. India’s new posture will make it difficult for Pakistan to raise Kashmir and expect India only to defend itself.
India’s hardened stance gets credence also because of the rising atrocities committed by Pakistan in PoK. A video showing gross violation of human rights in the region recently made waves on the internet. It is surprising that India restrained itself all these years and failed to adopt this strategy of hitting Pakistan where it hurts it the most. New Delhi should not only raise the atrocities being committed by the Pakistan authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, but also highlight those in Balochistan to render the neighbouring country defenceless. This may not silence the Pakistani guns on the border, but will surely force our neighbour to think twice before raising the “K” word on international fora.