KASHMIR: PAKISTAN LAUNCHES NEW DIPLOMATIC OFFENSIVE
ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 (IPS) - STILL SMARTING FROM THE HUMILIATING DEFEAT OF ITS RESOLUTION ON KASHMIR AT THE U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN GENEVA LAST YEAR, PAKISTAN IS GEARING UP TO TABLE A NEW RESOLUTION ON THE DISPUTED TERRITORY AT THE UNITED NATIONS IN NEW YORK THIS WEEK.
ISLAMABAD'S POSITION REMAINS THAT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION, TO BE TABLED BY THE ORGANISATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC) CONTACT GROUP COMPRISING TURKEY, NIGER, SAUDI ARABIA AND THE OIC SECRETARY GENERAL, DOES NOT PRECLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF A U.N. RESOLUTION ON KASHMIR.
ISLAMABAD SEEMS TO HAVE LEARNT FROM ITS PAST MISTAKES AND THE RESOLUTION THIS TIME WILL NOT CARRY PAKISTAN'S NAME. IT WILL BE TABLED AS A RESOLUTION BY THE 51-NATION OIC GROUP.
BY DISTANCING ITSELF FROM THE RESOLUTION, PAKISTANI DIPLOMATS APPEAR TO BE TRYING DEMONSTRATE THAT IT HAS THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT OF OTHER PARTIES.
INTERESTINGLY, THE RESOLUTION ALSO FACTORS IN THE INDIAN AND PAKISTANI APPROACH TO RESOLVING THE KASHMIR ISSUE. WHILE "URGING PAKISTAN AND INDIA TO JOIN BILATERAL TALKS ON KASHMIR", IT ALSO CALLS ON THE U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL TO HELP RESOLVE THE CRISIS.
KASHMIR, WHOSE HINDU RULER ACCEDED TO INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE FROM COLONIAL BRITISH RULE IN 1947, HAS BEEN WRACKED BY A FIVE- YEAR-OLD ARMED MUSLIM INSURGENCY THAT NEW DELHI ALLEGES IS BACKED BY PAKISTAN.
AT LEAST 10,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE ONGOING BATTLE BETWEEN MILITANTS DEMANDING INDEPENDENCE OR MERGER WITH PAKISTAN AND SECURITY FORCES IN INDIA'S ONLY MUSLIM-MAJORITY STATE.
INDIA INSISTS THAT PAKISTAN'S URGING OF U.N. MEDIATION VIOLATES A MORE THAN 20-YEAR-BILATERAL ACCORD WHICH COMMITS BOTH SIDES TO RESOLVING DIFFERENCES OVER KASHMIR BETWEEN THEMSELVES.
THE RESOLUTION WILL BE INTRODUCED IN THE U.N.'S FIRST COMMITTEE WHICH LOOKS INTO ISSUES OF PEACE AND SECURITY. THIS IS A DEPARTURE FROM THE PREVIOUS PAKISTANI STANCE OF INSERTING KASHMIR RESOLUTIONS IN EITHER THE THIRD COMMITTEE WHICH DEALS WITH HUMAN RIGHTS OR AT THE UNCHR IN GENEVA.
THE RESOLUTION WILL NOT TAKE UP THE ISSUE OF INDIAN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN KASHMIR, AND AVOID INDICTING INDIA.
BUT DIPLOMATS HERE SAY THAT ALTHOUGH IT IS "FAR FROM PERFECT" THE PRESENT RESOLUTION IS MORE REALISTIC AND HAS MORE OF A CHANCE OF GETTING PASSED AT THE WORLD BODY. THAT WOULD MEAN AN IMPORTANT POINT SCORED FOR PAKISTAN, THEY ADD.
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