March 2021 brought a breath of fresh air for the optimists on both sides of the “Border”. The news of Prime minister of India Narendra Modi’s letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Pakistan Resolution Day was definitely a boost to the “Doves of Peace” who were silent since 2019. Modi Ji in his letter to the People of Pakistan expressed the intent of People of India, as well as his own, to have a long term peace between the two nations. This letter & Modi’s tweets expressing concerns for Imran Khan’s health were also accompanied with news that the back door channels between the two governments have been active for some time, discussing bilateral issues and the wayforward. We were also informed through media that the Arabs facilitated and were intrumental in opening these backdoor channels between these two nuclear enemies.
Some of us with crystal balls had seen visions of these bilateral backdoor channels with Arabs as tools and the real masters peeking through the fog, hence had established that the bilteral relations between Pakistan & India, or for that matter any two neighbours in the world with such geopolitical and geoecnomic potential, are not ‘Bilateral’ anymore. International inerests are linked with the relations between Pakistan & India.
International community therefore had been looking for an opening to lower the tempratures which had blown over in 2019 and had been simmering since on both sides. Modi in 2021 provided this opening. It would be very interesting for many but not even surprising to the ones with crystal balls, that the eagerness to open backdoor channels was signalled by the Indians to their not so new partners or allies across the ocean. Yes, it was Indian Prime Minister who was eager for Peace, and the Americans taking the lead conveyed to Pakistan leaders “at the helm of affairs” that they must stop sulking and get back on the table for the sake of a better & peaceful region. As we have heard many times since September 2001 that the Americans don’t leave much room for discussion when they directly tell us what they want, therefore, as per media reports, bilateral back channel (whatever that really means!!) meetings were held between the representatives of people who really matter, i.e Ex Raw & Ex ISI officials to discuss the issues facing the two nations and the way forward. And who could be the best choice as mediators or facilitators for such talks between blood enemies? Our crystal ballers had predicted this too, “The UAE Arabs” flying high with their recent success in relations to establishing diplomatic friendly relations with the State of Israel were ofcourse the logical choice of the Americans as well as India.
Crysatal ballers, yes I intend to keep using this term, advised caution and testing of waters, to the Pakistani leadership, however the “Doves of Peace” with, the condition of poverty stricken massess on both sides as their motivation, led from the front in convincing even our military leadership to signal softness if India first creates a “Conducive” enviornment for talks between the two countries.
Well, Sir, the backdoor communications and meetings were already going on !
On March 18th, COAS Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke to the guests, diplomats, panelists and participants of the “Islamabad Dialogue” and through his speech he conveyed that: “we are ready to improve our environment by resolving all our outstanding issues with our neighbours through dialogue in a dignified and peaceful manner”, but not before establishing that: “we have witnessed how multilateral rule-based platforms contributed towards good of mankind”, thus confirming that the international interests and efforts are part of any future relations with India. However, in my opinion the most important message that COAS sent out was that the Pakistan military, which has been blamed for sabotaging the process of Peace with India by many external as well as internal players, will support any initiative towards peace and that this support is linked to: “India creating a conducive enviornment specially in Indian Occupied Kashmir.”
On March 24th, a surprise for both nations, but not to crystal ballers, was the letter that Modi Ji wrote adressing Prime Minister of Pakistan with greetings for the people of Pakistan. It is a very interesting letter, other than that it came 5-6 days after Pakistan COAS speech, Modi ji conveyed that “India desires cordial relations with the People of Pakistan” in an “enviornment of trust that is devoid of terror and hostility”.
Other than hidden or behind the scene connections, players, initiatives, bilateral or on a “multilateral platform” the gestures, speeches, and exchanges between the leaders of both nations and specially the gestures by Prime Minster of India Narendra Modi were a surprise even for the common masses of both countries. We have to keep in context why Modi Ji’s sudden soft stance was a special surprise, because he had expressed his anger and hate through open threats towards Pakistan at national as well as Internationally.
Doves of Peace and some of our national leadership were convinced that Modi and India have transformed, maybe the length of the beard had something to do with it or maybe Modi’s heart softened after visiting Bangladesh, but whatever it was, had convinced our leadership to level that they were ready to even consider trade with India, import sugar, wheat, ….and live happily afterwards.
History is our teacher for future, the crystal ballers keep reminding everyone, and with that they kept reminding that national behaviours or for that matter that of hardline leaders do not change so suddenly overnight. One very strong chrachteristic of Hindu diplomacy that has been identified over centuries by intellectuals is “ Bagl mien churri, moh pe Ram Ram” meaning “talk of peace but with a dagger hidden under the armpit”, and this charachteristic has never been so blatantly thrown at the faces of the doves and at those who fell victim of their hopes of peace, as it has been done by Narendra Modi in 2021.
Data analysts who analyse social media have unearthed a months old strategic plan by the Indians that was initiated as early as January 2021 if not before to instigate unrest and violence in Pakistan in April 2021. Yes, nobody listens to crystal ballers !!
While Modi Ji was conveying his peaceful intent to his US allies, while he was drafting his flowery words for cordial relations and love for People of Pakistan, while backdoor panelists approved by him were meeting with Pakistani counterparts in UAE under the able guidance of the Shiekhs with info to US (and Israel?) and while the Pakistani leadership was considering these as “conducive” steps and were encouraging each other to import sugar from India…., Modi Ji was planning a deep undercut by starting a social media trend “#CivilWarInPakistan” through thousands of fake handles created in January 2021 or even before that.
Even most Pakistanis were not so serious about “Tehreek Labaik” ultimatum of April 20th but India’s planners had designed a complete strategy to add deadly fuel and create country wide violence in Pakistan through intigating the call for expulsion of French Ambassador.
The world is already aware of India’s state sponsored DisInfo campaign against Pakistan and there is credible information that this campaign is directly supervised by Prime Minister of India himself, so apparently a disinfo campaign to destabilise situation in Pakistan through misleading a religiously motivated mob was bieng supervised by Modi ji while he was soothing the doves of peace.
Crystal ballers say we are back to square one. Whether there is a bilateral or a multilateral platform, India has over the decades clearly shown that it has never and will never accept Pakistan, that it will not rest till it destroys Pakistan or tames it into a Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh sort of dependent nieghbour.
If India wants Pakistan and International community to trust its intenctions then it must leave Indian ccupied Kashmir and allow United Nations to hold a free impartial plebicite by people of Kashmir to decide the state’s future.
That is a contribution. Sitting back and being hypercritical even about the passing cool breeze is the easiest way out. Glad to see your well articulated write up.