Modi’s letter: Felicitation or indication of defeat?

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2021-04-10T22:22:29+05:00 Yusuf Zaman

The current government of PTI has faced stern reproval from its adversaries on its bleak foreign policy. It has been deemed gloomy and puzzling with no genuine objective. However, Modi’s letter on Pakistan Day may silence Imran’s opponents on this issue.

The rising tiger of Asia once extrapolated to rival China’s economic and military prowess, has succumbed to self-inflicted wounds on both domestic and national stages. This tiger suffered disgrace and mortification on February 27, 2019 when Pakistan Air Force shot down its soaring/inflated ego and false dominance in a swift operation.

It also failed to isolate Pakistan on the international stage thanks to the efforts of the foreign office and the vision of Imran Khan. The pseudo-intellectual syndicate hard at work against the government has repeatedly accused Imran of selling Kashmir.

The narrative being nurtured aims to dilute Pakistan’s efforts pertaining to Kashmir in the eyes of its own people. This political manoeuvre from the power-hungry elite will bring immense repercussions as Pakistan is already working very hard for very little.

The UN is still turning a blind eye to the issue so unity of all political factions is pertinent to show our resolve to our Kashmiri brothers and the world. Any act that tries to undermine or sabotage the Kashmir cause or our efforts should be treated as treason of the highest variety.

Imran Khan has proven to be a worthy advocate of the Kashmir issue and has reaffirmed in his reply to Modi that Kashmir precedes all other topics of dialogue. Pakistan has always endorsed peace and dialogue over aggression to amend relations with its neighbour.

However, the Kashmir factor must be acknowledged and dealt with before all other matters of concern. Imran Khan has projected and highlighted the grievances of Kashmiri brothers at all International forums. After decades of silence on this burgeoning issue due to vested interests of the previous executives of the country, it was his government that reignited the debate.

The question that arises from this episode of diplomacy is that; will this exchange of pleasantries lead to something substantial? Like preceding years, this could be regarded as a neighbourly salutation but the atmosphere is different.

India’s coercive diplomacy gambits have produced negative results and bad press for the country. In an endeavour to nullify the damage, it has launched an attempt to cleanse its image from extremist/fascist filth. Pakistan has been triumphant in showing the true non-secular and fascist face of India and it has suffered profoundly because of it.

Modi’s letter can be viewed as a de-escalating mechanism rather than a greeting. It is unquestionably a win for the foreign office and invalidates all notion or narratives sown against it. India’s diminishing supremacy is Pakistan’s most remarkable diplomatic achievement in recent history.

It is monumental considering the stagnant phase of diplomacy and the feeble foreign policy of previous governments. The rejuvenation of ties with Russia and other world powers is also admirable and welcoming. Imran’s vision of making Pakistan a formidable stakeholder at the global level should be acknowledged and political tussles should not take precedence over sovereignty and interests of the state.

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